The Wild Card
by December Camie
Summary: AU Cardsverse- Alfred is a normal Hearts citizen, but there's something strange about him. Something off. Could it be that he does not belong in the Hearts Kingdom? But that's impossible...right? Updated slowly and randomly; NO ROMANCE.
1. Prologue

**12/4/2011**

**I do not own Hetalia. **

-o0o-

Alfred Jones was a strange child.

Everyone in the Hearts Kingdom knew this, including the Royal Deck. Yet no one was able to pinpoint exactly why this was true; in all cases, Alfred seemed like a normal, loyal Hearts citizen. He worked normal hours, he ate what was expected of him, followed the curfew, did the proper amount of time in the armed forces that was mandatory per year, and generally did what was required of him. However, there was still something off, something not right about him; it was almost as if he did not belong here, in Hearts.

But, that was impossible. You only lived in Hearts if you belonged in Hearts; this was true of all Four Kingdoms. If you were a Spade, you lived in Spades, a Club resided in Clubs, and a Diamond stayed in Diamonds. If you didn't belong in that Kingdom, you were probably visiting, or on an errand of some kind. No one stayed if they did not belong there, and it was easy to tell where you belonged since everyone had the Tattoo. Of course, your Tattoo could change, but this was a very rare occurrence which automatically resulted in banishment. Alfred's Tattoo had not changed because there were Numbers in the Royal Deck for that. They kept tabs on who belonged and who did not.

So, it did not matter that no one could see Alfred's Tattoo, especially since Tattoos were often in places that were difficult to spot or see because of the heavy clothing Hearts wore. If Alfred was still in Hearts, his Tattoo was a Heart, and he did not belong anywhere else, regardless of how other "suit-like" he acted or behaved.

Case closed.

-o0o-

"Cards are war, in disguise of a sport."  
>Charles Lamb<p> 


	2. Chapter 1, in the Hearts Castle Stable

**12/5/2011**

**-Information I feel that is needed to understand the story is at the bottom, and is represented by a *. Any other questions just review or send me a message, I promise I will reply.**

**-Thank you for all of the reviews and favs so far! I hope I don't disappoint any of you!**

**-I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_In the Hearts Castle Stable_

"Alfred!" A voice cried, sounding alarmed. In a far-off corner, a teenager with gold blond hair and clear blue eyes looked up from his position on the hay covered floor.

"Yeah? What is it Roger?" He asked, washing a beautiful brown horse that lay on the ground in front of him.

"The, uh, Queen is here." Roger said nervously. Alfred stopped moving and faced the small apprentice, an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"Kiku's here?" Roger winced at the familiarity at which the other used the Queens's first name.

"Yes, sir. He's here. Your Majesty said he wishes to see you."

"Doesn't he have a meeting or something today? What's he doing here?"

"I don't…" The smaller boy shook his head. Alfred sighed.

"Alright, might as well bring him in then since he's already here."

Roger nodded and disappeared through the double wooden door, leaving Alfred alone with his thoughts. Tired, he leaned back on his heels and ran a hand through his messy bangs, causing the horse he was cleaning to whinny in complaint at being abandoned. Alfred laughed and reached over to pet her, just as the doors flew open. Roger re-entered, looking so nervous that he almost appeared to be sick, and behind him followed a small Japanese man wearing a light, flowing maroon robe. In his right hand he held a small bouquet of dark red flowers, the Eternal Implement* of the Queen of Hearts. As the two approached, Alfred slowly stood up and brushed his pants free from dirt and hay. Then he straitened and beamed at the Queen, who watched him expectantly. Roger, on the other hand, almost seemed ready to pass out from shock at being in the presence of a Royal.

"Nice to see you again, Your Majesty," Alfred said politely, dipping his head. "What can I do for you?"

"Alfred, a pleasure as always," The Queen offered him a faint smile. "I wish to speak to you about something-" his dark brown eyes flitted to Roger, who was standing frozen, and then back to Alfred. "-alone, if I may be so rude."

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure. Roger," The boy jerked at the sound of his name. "Do you mind if I speak to the Queen alone for a moment? I'm sure it won't take long."

"O-of course!" Roger squeaked, turning as red. "Your Majesty," he made a hasty bow towards the Queen and scuttled away, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"I think you scared him a little there, Kiku," Alfred said, chuckling.

"Hai, he seemed very nervous," Kiku frowned at the shutting door. "Did I do something to offend him?"

"You didn't do anything," Alfred grinned at his friend. "The kid's just not used to being around high ranking Royalty such as yourself." Kiku made a face.

"I wish you would stop calling me Royalty," He walked over to the doorway that led outside to the grounds and stared out at the sunset. "We have known each other since long before I ever became Queen." He slowly lowered himself onto a bench that rested against the stable wall.

"Technically, you were already in the running for Queen when I first met you." Alfred joined Kiku and watched the dark red colors bleed into the sky. The sunsets in the Hearts Kingdom were always red, never orange or gold like it probably was in the Diamonds Kingdom. Sometimes Alfred wondered what it would be like to travel to the different Kingdoms, each so different from Hearts, but he knew that it would be a wasted trip. He would never be able to find a home in another Kingdom like he had here with Kiku and his friends. "Besides, that's why I call you by your first name and not by your status or title."

"That is true," Kiku fingered the flowers in his hand, running a thumb over a dark petal. "And that is also why I enjoy your company so much. You don't treat me like I'm special; you treat me like you always have."

"Well, you've always been Kiku Honda to me," Alfred admitted. "Even after you became part of the Royal Deck, you were never 'The Queen' or 'Japan'. You were still my best friend, regardless of what you now stood for."

"Thank you, Alfred." Kiku reached over and squeezed Alfred's hand once before letting go. Alfred grinned in reply.

"No problem. Anyways, why are you here? I thought you said there was this big meeting thing you had to attend today."

"Ah, well, yes, the meeting was today." Kiku purposefully avoided Alfred's gaze.

"And…? Did you go?"

"Yes, I did."

"'Did'? Don't those things last all day?"

"Normally, they do. But today we finished early." Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"They never end meetings early, you told me that yourself." Kiku remained silent. "Don't tell me you snuck out or something before it ended." More silence. "Oh, god, you did! You snuck out! I can't believe this!" Kiku abruptly stood up, offended at being accused of such a thing.

"I did not! It was Feliciano-chan's idea, Ludwig-san and I just followed his example!" Alfred laughed.

"So Feliciano, the guy who can never come up with a bright idea to save his life, was actually able to convince you and Ludwig, the two most refined and realistic people I have ever met, to abandon an important meeting right in the middle of it? Oh, man, Kiku, this is hysterical! I would have never believed this!"

"Nothing was going on, we were just discussing borders and new battle strategies," Kiku nervously bit his lip. "You don't think the Officers will mind, do you?"

"Nah, they were probably just as bored as you were." Alfred grinned up at him. "Sit back down, you already did it, so there's no point in going back." He patted the empty bench beside him and Kiku sat down again.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" Alfred asked, watching the dark outlines of a flock of birds against the sky. "'Cause, no offense, but you could've told me that in front of Roger."

"I like talking to you alone when there are no ears to listen to our conversation and no eyes to see our reactions. And, no, I wanted to ask you about something else."

"Okay, shoot." Alfred closed his eyes and relaxed against the wall.

"I wanted to know if you would like to go to the Alhliða Gathering** with me this year." Alfred's eyes flew open and he stared at his friend, surprised. "I know you like meeting new people, and I think this would be a great experience for you. In fact, I find it hard to believe that you have never gone before."

"But, I'm not allowed to go anywhere else besides Hearts, remember? The last time I went to another Kingdom, I ended up punching that Braginski guy in the face…and then the last King of Hearts and the King of Clubs forbade me from ever traveling again."

"Yes, but Braginski-san is now Russia-san, and the new King of Clubs. He was a candidate the last time you saw him, but he was chosen by his Kingdom's Eternal Implement, and was crowned ruler. Therefore, the King's threat is no longer standing, that is unless Russia-san decided to renew it, which he did not. Also, the Gathering is always in No-Man's-Land***, no one can banish you from going there." Alfred sat up straighter, and his eyes lit up with excitement.

"So, that means I can go without being punished?"

"Hai, I believe so. I doubt Ludwig-san will deny you from traveling with us; he is your friend too, after all." Alfred laughed out loud in joy, and threw his arms around Kiku in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you! Thank you!" he cried, tightly squeezing the smaller boy.

"Alfred!" Kiku gasped. "I-can't-breathe!" Alfred immediately released him.

"Oh, god, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" he asked, panicked as Kiku sucked in as much air as he could into his lungs.

"I am fine," he said finally. "But you must learn to control your strength, Alfred. Is that not what training in the military is for?" Alfred smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess. But I've never been good at following the rules."

"That is true." Kiku sighed and shook his head. "Does that mean you will attend the Gathering with me?"

"Yes, of course! As long as Ludwig says its okay, I'd be happy to go! Will you ask him for me, though? If I ask him, he'll probably give me that calculating stare of his that always makes me feel like I've done something wrong."

"Normally you have done something wrong," Kiku reminded him patiently. "But, yes, I will ask him. He will not say no though; he likes you, as does Feliciano-chan and I."

"Thanks, Kiku. That means a lot to me." He hugged Kiku again, but this time more gently. "You have no idea how happy this makes me. This Gathering is going to be amazing!"

-o0o-

"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."  
>Voltaire<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(Icelandic)Alhliða- universal

(Japanese) Hai- that's how the word "yes" sounds in Japanese when spoken out loud.

-o0o-

**Background Information (Sorry for the lengthy explanations):**

***The **_**Eternal Implements**_** (also known as EI's or Imps) are magical objects that are specific to each Kingdoms' King, Queen, and Jack, and have special mysterious properties that only their owner has access too. In addition, it is the Eternal Implements that choose the next rulers of the Kingdoms out of the candidates, and not the previous King, Queen or Jack. Jokers do not have Eternal Implements. Examples of Eternal Implements: Kiku's flowers, Arthur's clock, Elizaveta's sword, etc. **

**** The **_**Alhliða Gathering**_** is a Holiday where anyone who is able to travels to a town in the middle of No-Man's-Land. Everyone wears white, so it is impossible to tell who is from which Kingdom, and they basically just celebrate being alive. It's a day to forget differences and to accept each other for who they are and not for what Tattoo they bear.**

***** **_**No-Man's-Land**_** is a very long strip of territory that spreads throughout the Suit World and divides the 4 Kingdoms. As a result, none of the 4 Kingdoms' borders touch each other, and anyone is allowed travel through the territory because it does not belong to any specific Suit. However, it is often called the "Joker's Territory" because that is where the two are seen the most.**


	3. Chapter 2, No Man's Land

**12/8/2011**

**Wow, this is amazing, I never thought that people would like this so much. Thank you guys for reading this! Any questions just review or send me a message, I promise I will reply.**

**So much detail! There's a ton of information in this chapter, so I hope you guys don't mind long paragraphs.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_No-Man's-Land_

Alfred was good at many things. One of the few things he truly enjoyed doing though was riding horses, and his favorite was a beautiful Dapple grey filly that he had helped raise when he had started working at the stables. Alfred had named the horse Artemis after the old legends, and for his 13th birthday, Alfred's boss, who loved Alfred like a son, gave Artemis to him for free. Alfred was allowed to keep her in the stables with the rest of the horses, and she would be taken care of in every way, with no expense on Alfred's part other than he had to continue working there. But Alfred didn't mind, why would he? He had the best job in the entire Kingdom, and he most defiantly had the greatest, fastest, most loyal horse of all four Suits!

After Kiku left the stables, Alfred immediately ran over to Artemis and grabbed the nearest reins and saddle he could find. Hastily, he strapped the buckles around her stomach and lifted the headpiece into her mouth. Artemis whinnied slightly at the roughness that Alfred was preparing her, but he ignored her, quickly shoving on boots and grabbing his jacket.

"Roger, I'm going out!" he yelled, not bothering to see if the boy had heard or not before he climbed onto Artemis and steered her out of the stable.

Alfred's boss might have come to regret his decision to give the teenager Artemis as time passed. Artemis was a gorgeous horse, lustrous grey in color with dark black dots speckled across her broad back and her long legs. Outside when the weather was nice, her coat would shine silver from the sun's rays, and at night, she glowed in the moonlight. At the same time, she easily blended in with stone buildings and the dark trunks of trees if needed. When she ran, she was as quick and graceful; one of the fastest horses in the Royal Stable, if not _the_ fastest. Alfred had trained his horse well, and by now the two were attuned to each other in movements and personality; Alfred would rarely use any other horse, and Artemis was stubborn when it came to allowing other Hearts citizens to ride her.

Right now they were flying across the Hearts Castle grounds, running at such a speed that from far away, Artemis was nothing more than a grey smudge against the background. Alfred leaned low on his horse's back, pressing his face into her soft main and narrowing his eyes against the wind. Thank god Artemis was used to running for long distances on end, or else this would be a difficult journey; Alfred's destination was so far away from the Castle that he just might end up staying out all night. He didn't really mind though, it was worth it. He needed to retrieve something before he left with Kiku for the Gathering, and it was not an option to leave it behind for such a long period of time.

Artemis finally reached the boarder of the Hearts Kingdom just as the moon was starting to rise in the starry night sky. Alfred pulled on her reins as they approached a tiny stream, forcing the energetic horse to stop. In the small amount of time Artemis rested, Alfred jumped off her back and rubbed her neck in slow, comforting circles. He stared across the stream of water at a wall of dense, thick trees. On the other side of the stream was No-Man's-Land; an uncharitable plot of land that separated the Kingdoms and was home of the mysterious Jokers, Prussia and Sealand. Alfred often wondered how the two lived there since the geography of No-Man's-Land was constantly changing; a person could go to bed surrounded by a forest to wake up the next day and find themselves at the base of a mountain. Of course, the borders of No-Man's-Land never changed, just its physical features. It was rumored that magical creatures of all kinds lived hidden inside of the territory, but very few were brave enough to venture into the strange land to see if this was true or not. Alfred, on the other hand, was the opposite; he was one of the dumb people to actually explore No-Man's-Land and to keep coming back time after time.

After Artemis had rested enough, Alfred led her forward on foot by guiding her with the reins. They weaved in and out of trees for a while before the trunks started to thin out, and eventually a small opening appeared. Alfred visibly relaxed at the sight, and sighed, relieved. It was correct that No-Man's-Land was easy to get lost in, but this was never true for Alfred. This spot always appeared sooner or later after he passed the border, even though he had only started to make these pilgrimages a few months ago. They stepped through the breach and a clearing was revealed, a patch of dark green grass surrounding a beautiful, quiet waterfall. The scene was bathed in a strange blue glow from a light layer of mist that covered the landscape, giving the place a mysterious feel to it. The waterfall flowed into a pond, and glowing balls of light no larger than a fireflies floated freely in the air on the edges of the water.

As soon as he appeared, the balls of light headed towards Alfred and his horse. Alfred knew that they were fairies* from previous visits, and saw their tiny fragile bodies define as they drew closer. The fairies loved Alfred for some reason unknown to him; they were always interested in playing with his gold hair and touching his red Hearts clothing. Sometimes they even dared to perch on his nose and stare into his eyes, or sit in his hand to feel the calluses and curves of his palm. Often they tried talking to him, but their alien language was impossible to understand; they were not speaking any version of German, Japanese, Italian or Hoppípollan** that he knew.

"Hi, guys," Alfred said as the fairies gathered around him. The fairies attempted to speak to him, using gestures and body movement, but to no avail. Instead they pulled on his clothes, trying to drag him towards the water.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Jeesh, calm down." He rolled his eyes. "Artemis, eat whatever you want." He called back to the horse but she ignored him, already indulging on the fresh blades of grass.

As he reached the edge of the pond, he knelt down on the grass and leaned over to stare into its depth. The fairies flew around him nervously when he started to roll up his sleeves, a determined expression on his face. Cautiously he dipped his arm into the water, not in the least bit surprised that its temperature was warm. His arm was in elbow deep when a smile lit up his face. With a triumphant shout, Alfred lurched out of the water and landed flat on his back in the damp grass. Breathing heavily, he turned his head to stare at the small, gold object that he had pulled from the water's depths.

It was a pocket watch. Not a very big one- right now, at least it wasn't- but large enough to cover the entire palm of his hand. The clock was made entirely of gold, though at the moment it hardly weighed anything, and had tiny sapphire jewels implanted in the black arrows that pointed to the time. The numbers looked as if they had been etched onto the clock's face with a fine point pen, long, curly, and with distinct style. A thin but strong chain was connected at its tip, snaking its way around Alfred's clasped hand and coiling on the ground behind him. The shape of the frame of the clock was the most interesting part to Alfred; it looked almost like a teardrop, but instead of smoothly curving at the bottom, there was an indent, making it come across like an upside down heart. Alfred knew this symbol all too well; he had seen it almost every day of his life. It was a spade, from the Spades Kingdom.

This was a Spades clock.

The fairies anxiously flew around Alfred, worried that he had somehow hurt himself. One of them gently touched his cheek, and her cold hand instantly jerked him out of his thoughts. He slowly sat up, bringing the Spades clock closer to his eyes to examine it for the millionth time. This strange watch never failed to amaze Alfred, even though he had found it nearly six months ago on his first trip to No-Man's-Land. It was in this very clearing that he had discovered the strange treasure, and he had kept it here ever since for protection and fear of losing or someone stealing it.

Spades clocks were powerful objects to their Kingdom, just like clovers were to Clubs, and diamonds were to Diamonds. Alfred never really understood how this was true, but he had heard rumors that Spades clocks could be used as potential weapons. Alfred was not a Spade; he was a Heart. There was no way that the pocket watch could ever work for him like it probably would for whomever it belonged too.

But, still.

Strange things happened to Alfred whenever he was with the Spades pocket watch. For one thing, the clock had the ability to change its size and weight. At first, Alfred could not figure out why this was; he spent hours trying to take it apart to no avail. Nothing he did could harm it in any way, shape or form. It was only until about two weeks after he first saw the clock when the first visions came.

The watch had been really tiny that day, no bigger than a bug and so weightless that it almost felt like it wasn't there at all. Alfred had been swinging the clock back and forth in a hypnotizing way from its chain when it had started to glow. In the beginning it was a comforting soft blue hue, but then it turned into blinding white light, impossible to look without spots forming across Alfred's vision. Alfred had been scared out of his wits, and had attempted to stop the light by covering the face of the clock with his hand.

That was when everything got weird. The forest scenery around him changed, morphing into an old village street with bustling carts and groups of running children running everywhere. Alfred recognized the market place; this was where he had first met Kiku.

He watched, shocked as his own memory play out in front of him. There was his 5 year old self, playing tag with the other children and finding a quiet Japanese boy hiding in a corner all by himself. Alfred re-lived himself trying to convince Kiku to come play with other kids, and he laughed at himself at the stubbornness in which little Alfred refused to leave Kiku alone. The vision ended as quickly as it had come, disappearing the moment little Alfred and little Kiku became friends, bringing the older Alfred back to the lonely forest clearing, thoroughly shocked.

The clock didn't stop there; Alfred continued to be magically transported back in time, to the birthday when Artemis had become his, to the moment he had punched that Braginski jerk, to the time when he had first seen the clock. He even experienced events that he had never been a part of, like seeing how and when Kiku was chosen as the next Queen of Hearts. Whenever this happened, the pocket watch was small and completely lightweight, but it always turned back to its normal size after the vision was done. So, what happened when the clock was bigger, and heavier? Alfred wondered.

Alfred got his answer three months later. The clock had been bigger than his hand and so heavy that he could barely lift it off the ground. When the light appeared and he touched the clock's hands, he saw himself, Kiku, Ludwig and Feliciano on a picnic outside eating pasta, wurst and other wonderful foods. Alfred had no recollection of this memory, strangely enough. A few days later, Alfred was invited to lunch with the Royals. The vision from the clock was playing out right in front of him, so that meant that the clock could not only transport him to the past, but also bring him to the future, to see events that had not occurred yet.***

Alfred fingered the beautiful gold pocket watch in his hands, turning it from side to side. The clock looked about normal size, so it probably wouldn't bring him any visions today. Still, he wasn't about to leave it here for a week while he went off with Kiku. Someone could find it and take it away, and as highly unlikely as that was, he wasn't comfortable leaving it here. He sighed tiredly, hoping that the clock would be easy to hide once he brought it back with him; he had not show nor told anyone else about his trips to the mysterious waterfall, and he wasn't planning on it either. He had a strange feeling that the Royal Deck would confiscate it from him if they ever found it.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." said an unexpected voice from behind Alfred's back.

Alfred whirled around, hiding the clock behind him as he turned to see a tall, white haired teenager standing a little distance off, leaning on a tree. The stranger smirked, his red eyes shining out of the shadows.

"Hello, Wild." He greeted in German.

-o0o-

"Has fortune dealt you some bad cards? Then let wisdom make you a good gamester."  
>Francis Quarles<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(Greek) Artemis- goddess of the moon and the hunt

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***_Fairies_ are actually rarely seen in any of the 4 Kingdoms, though they can be spotted in the Spades Kingdom from time to time. Not many people live to see fairies because they do not like being around "civilized" areas, such as towns, villages, markets, or the Castles. For most of the time they stay in No-Man's-Land, away from humans. They tend to gravitate towards magical places, objects, and humans, which is the only reason they ever leave No-Man's-Land.**

****All of the people in the Hearts Kingdom speak Japanese, German and Italian. Each Kingdom has at least more than two official languages according to their rulers, and everyone everywhere speaks _Hoppípollan_, the universal language of their world.**

*****For clarification, the _Spades pocket watch_ allows Alfred to see the past when it is small and lightweight; when the clock is bigger and heavier, Alfred can see the future. This is because the past is easier to recall than it is to bring out visions of events of the future. People are constantly remembering memories and events, so it takes the clock less energy to store and show them to Alfred. Predictions on the other hand are difficult to define and can always change, therefore the clock needs to use more of its magical powers. Predictions take up more "storage room" inside of the clock, forcing it to become bigger and heavier when this happens.**


	4. Chapter 3, No Man's Land

**12/11/2011**

**I re-wrote this chapter about four times. I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to explain what being a Wild Card meant. Anyways, enjoy the chapter, guys!**

**Any questions about the Background Information or if I made something unclear, just send me a message; I promise I will reply without revealing too much of the story.**

**As for who Prussia is in relation to Germany, they are brothers. Prussia was originally one of the candidates for the Hearts Royal Deck, but was rejected by all of the Eternal Implements. Shortly after this, his Tattoo changed from a Heart to a Joker symbol, and he was ostracized from the Kingdom. No one except Ludwig knew what became of him because in Hearts he was known as Gilbert, but when he became a Joker his title became "Prussia". It's a similar situation with Sealand.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_No-Man's-Land_

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." said an unexpected voice from behind Alfred's back.

Alfred whirled around, hiding the Spades pocket watch behind him as he turned to see a tall, white haired teenager standing a little distance off, leaning on a tree. The stranger smirked, his red eyes shining out of the shadows.

"Hello, Wild." He greeted in German.

Alfred stood up, refusing to show any sign of fear or surprise on his face. A few feet away, Artemis looked up from at the voice of the second person, her ears pointing strait in the air.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked angrily while the fairies around him frantically disappeared off into the trees, abandoning him. Alfred inwardly panicked at this; why would the fairies leave? Weren't they used to people traveling through their land? Why were they so frightened of this one person?

"Oh, you mean you haven't heard of the Awesome Prussia, one of the Jokers of No-Man's-Land?" Prussia slowly walked towards Alfred, looking him up and down with penetrating blood colored eyes. As he neared, Alfred's hand automatically clenched around the Spade clock, determined to keep it out of sight of the strange creature standing before him.

"You're a Joker?" Alfred's stomach tightened in worry; no one ever spoke to the Jokers, only the Kings and Queens knew what they looked like. How could Alfred protect himself from something he had no knowledge about? Casually he reached for a knife hidden in his front pocket; he would be ready if this Prussia guy ever decided to make a move.

"Yes! An Awesome Joker, if you want to be more specific." The Joker laughed obnoxiously with his heads thrown backwards, hands on his hips. Alfred stared at him, not sure if Prussia normally acted like this, or if he was just playing with Alfred so that he would let his guard down. If the first was true, he would be very surprised. He had always had the idea that Jokers were supposed to be creepy, unnatural beings with otherworldly powers that could kill with a single glance in your direction.*

What he had not expected, however, was a lively, loud teenager with ash grey hair and an actual tail- seriously, what _was_ that thing? He was even wearing somewhat normal clothing; a black jacket inscribed with the red Joker insignia and a dull maroon t-shirt with dark pants tucked into thick boots. In addition to the tail, which somehow _moved_ by the way, Prussia had two weird ear things sticking out of his hair. Or at least, Alfred assumed they were ears. He didn't want to think what else they might be.

"I've waited a long time to meet you, Alfred Jones." Prussia grinned at him. "I've always wanted to know what it would be like to meet a Wild Card." Alfred frowned.

"Why are you calling me that? I'm a Hearts citizen, nothing else; I don't even know what you mean by 'Wild Card'." Prussia smiled knowingly at him, causing goose bumps to form on Alfred's skin.

"How can you be a Heart if you don't have a Tattoo, Alfred?"

Alfred's face turned deathly white, and he felt his knees go weak.

"How do you know that?" Alfred demanded. "I've never told anyone that, not even Kiku."

"I'm a Joker, kid," Prussia rolled his eyes. "I know these kinds of things. I also know that since you don't have a Tattoo, you are without a doubt a Wild Card." Alfred's fear instantly disappeared, instead anger and annoyance took its place; who did this guy think he was? Alfred could be whatever the heck he wanted; he didn't need some crazy Joker to tell him who he was!

"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'without a doubt'? You can't just suddenly appear and tell me who I am! You can't accuse me of being something without even telling me why or how! And for the last and final time, I am a Hearts citizen! I've never heard of this Wild Card thing you're talking about-"

Prussia strode forward, anger flashing in his eyes and Alfred flinched, prepared for some type of attack from the older teenager. Instead, Prussia yanked up is left sleeve and shoved his arm under Alfred's nose, forcing the younger boy to glance at it.

"Look," Prussia growled. "Do you see what that is?" Alfred stared down at Prussia's arm and blinked in surprise when he saw a dark purple marking the size of a coin etched into the pale skin. It was the Joker's symbol; a curly line with an arrow at its end attached to the bottom of a circle, and on the top of the circle was two triangular ears, making the whole shape look like a cat head with a devil tail sticking out of its end. This was Prussia's Tattoo.

"This…it's your Tattoo." To say that Alfred was surprised would be an understatement. No one _ever_ showed anyone where their Tattoo was, that is, unless you trusted the person completely; a person's Tattoo was considered a weak point, although it had never been proven.

"Exactly," Prussia said bitterly, and released his clothes, letting his jacket re-cover the mark. "My Tattoo. You don't understand what it's like, Alfred, to have a Tattoo. A Tattoo can be a blessing as much as it can be a curse. Where you live, which Suit you are loyal to, and who your friends are all based upon one simple symbol. It can force you to leave your home, to abandon your family, and start your entire life over. But you," he pointed a finger in Alfred's face. "You don't have the Tattoo. You do not have this, this _thing_ determining your life; you are _free_. So don't you dare accuse me of telling you who you are because only you, a Wild Card, have the liberty to choose who you want to be. A Wild Card is someone without a Tattoo, the only person in the entire history of Suits that actually has the ability to decide which Kingdom they want to make their home. And only once they are 100 percent sure which Kingdom they want to belong to, only then will a Tattoo appear on their skin. That's what it means to be a Wild Card, kid. Consider yourself damn lucky."**

Alfred stood frozen, shocked for a moment before he was able to reply.

"But, I was born in Hearts! I live in Hearts, my friends, my job, my life is in Hearts! If I was a Wild Card, I would still want to belong to Hearts! If I was a Wild Card, I would choose to stay to Hearts, and that means I would still have the Heart Tattoo either way, but I don't! I still don't have a Tattoo! How do you explain that?"

"Just because you like Hearts now, does not mean that you will always like it." Prussia scoffed. "As a Wild Card, both your heart and mind have to agree on which Kingdom you want to belong to before your Tattoo appears. So that means either your heart," He poked Alfred in the chest. "or your brain," He flicked Alfred's forehead, causing the other to yelp. "does not like Hearts. Besides, just because you were born in Hearts does not automatically make you yourself one of them. And who said you were born there anyways? Do you have a mother, or a father?"

"I-no I don't have parents." Alfred frowned; he had never known either of his parents.

"Well, there you go, kid! You're just assuming that you want to be a Heart, but the fact that you don't have a Heart Tattoo says otherwise."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but a third, younger voice interrupted him.

"Gilbert? Is that you?" It was coming from the shadows of the trees and Prussia turned at the sound while Alfred tensed, reaching for his hidden knife once more. Who was it now? Another Joker?

"Peter," Prussia grinned. "Look what I've found sneaking around, it's the Wild Card."

"The Wild Card? He's here?" From the shadows emerged a small blonde boy, no older than 10, with think, heavy eyebrows and intense, light blue eyes. His tail whipped back and forth as he hesitantly walked towards Alfred and Prussia.

"Peter, this is Alfred Jones, the Wild Card. Alfred, this is Sealand, my awesome Joker partner in crime!" Alfred scowled at Prussia. Why was he introducing him like that? It wasn't like the Wild Card was a status***…or at least, he thought it wasn't.

"You're the Wild Card?" Sealand looked Alfred up and down, just as Prussia had done before. His eyes lingered on Alfred's arm that was hiding the Spades clock.

"That's what I've been told," Alfred said loudly, hoping to distract Sealand. "Though I've never heard of it before today."

"That's because they're covering up some of the old legends." Prussia folded his arms across his chest and stared up at the moon, a bothered expression on his face.

"Who's-"

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Sealand interrupted, and Alfred mentally cursed. "I can tell that you are holding something."

Alfred tightened his hand around the Spade pocket watch, and grit his teeth. There was no way in hell that he was going to let a pair of Jokers take the watch away from him. It was _his_; it worked for him. A Spade clock would only work for Spades, but if it was true that Alfred was a Wild Card, it could also work for him, which it had already done. It wouldn't work for two Jokers, like Prussia and Sealand.

"It's nothing," Alfred said firmly, trying hard to keep his voice even. "It's just a part of Artemis' saddle, that's all."

"I can tell that it's gold though," Sealand said stubbornly. "Saddle pieces aren't gold, right Prussia?"

"Hm, yeah, I agree. I didn't notice that before." Prussia said thoughtfully, lifting an eyebrow. "Why did you come out here in the first place, Alfred? Hmm? To get something, possibly? I doubt you were out just for a leisurely stroll through No-Man's-Land…" He eyed Alfred with renewed interest, but this time there was a strange glint in his gaze that caused Alfred's gut to tighten with fear. For the time since meeting the Joker, Prussia looked threatening enough to scare Alfred.

"Well, the Queen of Hearts gave me this saddle part," Alfred lied, slowly starting to back away from the two. He gestured at Artemis and she stood up, her ears pressed back against her head. "And a Queen could have a gold saddle, right?" As casually as he could, Alfred reached for Artemis' reins, but before he could, a small yellow object flew out of the trees and collided with him. Alfred let out a startled gasp, and let go of the Spades pocket watch in shock. He watched in horror as the bird caught the chain in its beak, flew over to the Jokers, and dropped it into Prussia's outstretched hand, flying back again into the cover of the forest. Prussia took the time to smirk snidely at Alfred before turning to look at the gold object in his hands.

Sealand made an odd choking noise when he saw what it was, and Prussia's eyes bulged in suprise. Clenching his teeth, Alfred withdrew a dagger from his pocket, and curled his left hand into a fist. If the Jokers wouldn't give the clock back to him willingly, as a trained Hearts warrior, Alfred would have to take it back by force.

"H-how did you get this?" Prussia demanded .Sealand gently touched the face of the clock, running his small fingers over the numbers, his face in awe.

"I found it," Alfred glared, narrowing his eyes. "It's mine, it belongs to _me_. Give it back."

"Do you even know what-"

"This is not yours!" Sealand cried, yelling at Alfred. He grabbed the watch and pointed at it, holding it by its chain so Alfred could see it. "This does not belong to you! It never has and it never will! This clock belongs to my big brother!"

"Your…what?" Alfred shook his head angrily. "You know what? I don't know nor care who your big brother is, kid. I found that clock, and I want it back. So, either you hand it over now, or I will take it from you by force." Alfred pointed his dagger at the Jokers, and a menacing tone entered his voice. "Either way, I will get take back from you, but neither of you will get hurt if you just give it to me peacefully, right now. If not, one of you will get injured in some way. That I can promise you."

The two Jokers stared at Alfred with wide eyes, momentarily stunned.

"Peter, give it back to him." Prussia said finally, breaking the silence.

"What?" the other cried. "Why? This isn't his! This is for the Spades-"

"I know, believe me, I know." Prussia insisted. "But think about what this could lead to! If we give the clock back to him, the whole future of this world will change! _Our_ future will change! All we have to do is hand it over. This could be a great thing, Peter." The boy's lip wobbled slightly, and he looked back down at the watch.

"Fine," he sniffed. "But only because it's for you, Gilbert."

Sealand tossed the clock back into the air towards Alfred, who lurched forward to catch it. He instantly felt better once the gold object was back in his hands, and he sighed in relief when he saw no damage had been done to it from the bird before. Alfred looked back up to thank the Jokers, but his mouth flew open in surprise when he found that they were not there anymore. They had disappeared. He turned in a circle, searching for the two, but found nothing.

"I guess they just left," Alfred said to Artemis. She whinnied in reply as he climbed onto her back.

"I wonder why they wanted this clock so bad though," he wondered out loud. "I'll have to look it up in the Library when we get back to the castle. Let's go home; I don't want anyone to notice that we were gone for so long." Alfred kicked Artemis in the side, and they galloped off into the night, leaving the clearing behind.

-o0o-

_Hearts Castle, the King's Bedroom_

"Feliciano, do you have everything packed for the Gathering?" Ludwig asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ve, yes, Ludwig. Thank you for helping me." The Jack beamed gratefully at the King.

"_Ja_,_ ja_, no problem. Just go to bed now, I need to pack my own things and I don't want to have to worry about you any more for the day."

"Of course, captain, sir!" Feliciano saluted Ludwig, earning a small smile from the tired German. "Good night, Ludwig." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Good night, Feliciano." He sighed. Still so much to do. Sometimes he wished that the Eternal Implement for the King of Hearts had chosen someone else for the job. Someone who wouldn't suffer from stress, like he did.

"Packing for a trip, little brother?" A familiar voice echoed throughout the room. Ludwig started and turned around until he saw Gilbert sitting on his bed, a common smirk on his face.

"Gilbert, what are you doing here?" Ludwig frowned "Has something bad happened?"

"Well, something certainly has happened, but it does not have to be bad. Unless, of course, you don't like the news I give you." The Joker smiled at the King, his red eyes shining.

"What? What is it?"

"What do you think it is?" Gilbert asked playfully.

"Gilbert, I'm not in the mood," Ludwig growled. "Tell me, or I swear I will throw you out the window, so help me god-"

"A Wild Card has appeared."

Ludwig froze, his face expressing nothing but complete and utter shock.

"What? But, aren't they extinct? According to the legends, they haven't been around for centuries."

"_Were_ extinct, brother." Gilbert corrected.

"Well, who is it then? I take it you've met him."

"I'm not telling you who it is," Gilbert scoffed. "That would go against the rules."

"What rules, Gilbert? I'm your brother! Just tell me!" Gilbert made a tsking sound and shook his head.

"Nope, can't do that. If I tell you, it won't be fair to the other three Kingdoms; the Suits wouldn't be even. I can't tell you who the Wild Card is, regardless if you are my brother or not." Ludwig scowled, annoyed.

"And you can't tell anyone else, either?"

"Precisely, Ludie! After all, everything must be fair and just in a world of Cards."

-o0o-

"A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder as any card they choose with no restrictions…"

Unknown

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

_Ja_- yes

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***There can never be more than two **_**Jokers**_** excising at a time. Jokers have strange powers that allow them to disappear and reappear by use of mirage magic, and they can also travel very quickly, sometimes managing to visit all four Kingdoms in a day. Jokers have a "responsibility" to keep the Suits as even as possible since they have the ability to acquire knowledge about the Kingdoms through dreams. As a result, they act as messengers to the Royal Decks and deliver important information about the other Kingdoms to each of the Kings and Queens. Jokers are not always very trusting; if there is something they want, they will not hesitate to go through any means to get it. **

****To simplify, a **_**Wild Card**_** is a person who does not have a Tattoo and can live in any Kingdom at any time without anyone being suspicious of him/her belonging to another Suit. However, if they want to, a Wild Card can choose to permanently stay in one Kingdom. As a result, a Tattoo would appear somewhere on their body, and he/she would not be able to live in any other Suits. This happens more often than not in Wild Card history, although Wild Card themselves are very rare. Wild Cards can be born in any Kingdom and of any status, what makes them different, other than not having a Tattoo, is that they have characteristics of all four Suits and the Joker combined into one person. In addition, they have very powerful magic abilities which make them very important warriors in battles with other Kingdoms. A Kingdom with a Wild Card on their side has an advantage over all of the other Suits in every single way. Wild Cards determine the most powerful Kingdoms of their time, which the main reason why the Royal Deck are continuously on the search for them. **((I hope this clears things up a little bit. Send me a message if you don't understand and want me to explain further.))

*****_Status and title_ basically refers to if you are in the Royal Deck or not. If in the Royal Deck, your status is either your number, or if you're the King, Queen or Jack, and the title is their country names. Royal Deck members rarely use their first and last names, unless it is with a close friend. Otherwise, calling a Royal Deck member by their personal names is considered insulting. For example, Kiku's status is Queen and his title is Japan, Feliciano is Jack and Italy, Ludwig is King and Germany.**


	5. Chapter 4, Alhliða

**12/18/2011**

**This takes place a few days after the last chapter.**

**Oh, and, uh *cough* Arthur's in this chapter. ^^ Well, at the end of the chapter, but still. He's in there.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Alhliða*, center of No-Man's-Land_

"Oh, man, this is so weird!" Alfred exclaimed his eyes wide as he stared down at the bustling street. "I'm totally not used to seeing everyone wear white!"

Alfred and Kiku were sitting side-by-side on a high stone wall that overlooked an extremely busy street filled with people of all shapes and sizes from all of the Suits. Practically everyone had to travel through this way since it was the main road to the courtyard where the official Gathering ceremony was taking place. The moment the Hearts had arrived at Alhliða, Alfred had grabbed Kiku and pulled him through the streets, gawking at everything in sight. Alhliða was so different from anything Alfred had seen before; there were stone houses that overlooked beautiful views of No-Man's-Land, and a huge fountain in a courtyard at the center of the town that glittered as if made from fairy dust. The entire town looked like it had purposefully been built with neutrality of the Kingdoms in mind; none of the Suits main colors were common in any part of the village; instead everything was white, silver and gold, the colors of harmony and peace.

Kiku smiled at Alfred from his position on the wall in the shade, leaning against the trunk of an old tree.

"You will get used to it eventually. It is almost a pleasant change from seeing red every single day, wouldn't you agree?"

"Mm, I guess. It's kinda creepy though, not knowing who belongs to which Suit. I feel so open and vulnerable." He made an uncomfortable face.

"That's just the Hearts warrior inside of you saying that." Kiku said, his hands lying in his lap. "Everyone is equal here; this day is not supposed to make you feel defenseless. Rather, it is supposed to make you feel united, stronger, as if you are whole with the people who share this world with you."

"Why do you have to make everything you say sound so spiritual?" Alfred groaned. "I can never come up with a good comeback after you say something like that!" he huffed, looking cross. Kiku laughed at him, his dark eyes shining.

"You are good enough at arguing, Alfred. You are very stubborn and persistent once you believe in your cause, even if you have no evidence. Perhaps if you just worked a little harder and thought a little more-"

"No way, too much effort." Alfred sighed, staring at the crowd of people below him. He gazed lazily at a man with a large hat who was walking through the street; he had strange yellow bird on his arm. The bird was small, the color of dull hay with black eyes and scrawny legs; probably a messenger bird by the looks of it. Hey, wait a second. Alfred sat up straighter, eyes latched onto the small bird. Was that the same bird that had been with Prussia a few days ago at the-

"Alfred? Are you alright?" Kiku asked, touching the other's sleeve. Alfred blinked, breaking his concentration. He looked back at Kiku, who was watching him with a worried expression, and then back at the streets. He frowned when he discovered that the man with the bird had disappeared from his view, just like Prussia and Sealand had done the last time.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" he muttered, his voice trailing off. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Kiku looked at him quizzically.

"Of course, anything."

"Are the Jokers invited to the Gathering in addition to everyone else?" Kiku frowned at Alfred, his brow furrowing.

"No one is 'invited' to the Gathering, it is a public holiday; anyone is allowed to attend. And the Jokers are the only two people of all of the Suits who can live in No-Man's-Land at all," He reminded Alfred. "They can travel to anyplace in this land that they wish. They could possibly be here if they wanted to, however, I have not seen either of them since we arrived here yesterday. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno, I thought I saw something," Alfred shrugged, trying to brush of the question as merely curiosity on his part. "Would you be able to recognize them if they showed up?"

"Possibly, but Ludwig-san sees our Joker correspondent more than I have; I could easily mistake him for someone else."

"Huh, but you can recognize the other Royal Decks from Spades, Clubs and Diamonds, right? Why are the Jokers different?"

"Curious, as always." Kiku glancing up at the sky as birds flew into the tree behind him. "However, you are wrong this time. I only know the Royal Deck members of Clubs by sight; I have never met the Royal Decks of Diamonds and Spades, personally."

"What?" Alfred cried, shocked. "What do you mean you've never met them? How do you conduct peace treaties and trade agreements and stuff?"

"Well," Kiku said thoughtfully. "Ludwig-san, Feliciano-kun and I were supposed to meet the new Queen and Jack of Spades after touring Clubs, but I believe you remember how disastrous that attempt was." Alfred snorted at the memory.

"That was when I punched Braginski in the face," He grinned. "That guy's reaction was hysterical. Didn't we start a huge fight in the middle of an important feast thing?"

"He is Russia-san now," Kiku reminded Alfred gently. "But yes, that was what happened. At the same time, the newly appointed Royal Deck of Spades was having a meeting with Diamonds, but they had a similar bad experience from what I've been told."

"No way, there was a fight there, too?" Kiku smiled slightly in amusement.

"Hai, except it was between the Spades Queen, England, and Diamonds King, France." Alfred threw his head back and laughed out loud.

"Oh, man, that's funny! At least Braginski and I weren't Royalties, but the other two, seriously? A Queen and a King from different Suits fighting? Their Kingdoms must really hate each other!"

"Spades and Diamonds do tend to argue more often than not, but they are surprisingly loyal allies to each other. However, since those first meetings were so unsuccessful, the Royal Decks agreed to not meet each other until it was absolutely necessary to do so. As a result, we have only met Clubs, and Spades has only met Diamonds."

"Wow, that's crazy." Alfred shook his head. "So, even if you met the Queen of Spades or the King of Diamonds here at the Gathering, you wouldn't know it?"

"Correct." Alfred whistled and leaned back on his hands.

"No offense, Kiku, but that's kinda dumb. What's gonna happen if you go to war with them or need to discuss treaties or something like that?"

"Then we shall meet then. Besides, it has been a peaceful time in Suits history; at the moment there has been no need for the Royal Decks to meet face-to-face. It takes a long time to travel to the other Suits, and it is difficult for any of the Kings and Queens to watch over their own Kingdom while visiting another. So far, letters have been sufficient when talking of federal issues." Kiku explained to Alfred.

"But what if there is a war in the future? You won't know who the King, Queen or Jack is of the other Suit; you won't know who to target!"

"Hai, that is true." Kiku said. "But, the enemy will not know who to make a 'target' either. Honestly, though, I would find it more interesting if I were to meet a Royal Deck member but not know who they were until later." Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever you say, dude. You're the Queen, or at least, every other day of the year you are," He grinned sideways at his friend. "Today you're just a normal Suits person, just like the rest of us non-Royal folk."

"I do not mind; it is nice not having others stare at you all of the time." Kiku said appreciatively. "I've missed this normalcy in my life."

"Pfffft, normalcy is boring!" Alfred whined. "Let's go do something interesting!"

"Like what, Alfred? I thought you enjoyed watching the people on the streets."

"Yeah, but we've been doing that for like an hour already! Let's go someplace else! I wanna see what the market is like here; I bet there are all kinds of interesting stuff from all over the world!" Alfred leaped off the wall and onto the soft grass below, pulling Kiku's arm in an attempt to force him to follow.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Kiku laughed, sliding to the ground gracefully, unlike Alfred. "There is no need to rush, we still-" a large shadow came up from behind the pair, and a hand touched Kiku's shoulder.

"Kiku," said a grave voice. They turned to see a tall man with pale blonde hair, and serious light blue eyes standing before them.

"Ludwig-san!" Kiku said, sounding surprised.

"Ludwig!" Alfred cried, a bright smile lighting up his face. "What's up, man? I haven't seen you since we go here!" He held out a hand, and the two shook firmly, Ludwig smiling appreciatively at the other.

"Alfred, it is nice to see you that you are enjoying yourself."

"Oh yeah! I love it here; this place is awesome! I can't believe I never came here before." He shook his head ruefully. Ludwig nodded.

"You are here now, that is all that matters."

"Yeah, thanks again for letting me come. Me and Kiku were just about to go over to the market place, do you wanna join us?"

"I would enjoy that very much; however, there is an urgent matter that I must talk to Kiku about first." He said solemnly. "May I speak to him alone for a moment?" Kiku frowned at Ludwig, trying to read the other's blank expression.

"Uh, sure." Alfred said. "It's probably government stuff you wanna talk about anyways, and that would just bore me. How about I start heading over there first and you two can follow after you're done?"

"Ah, excellent suggestion, Alfred." Kiku said. "Do you know where you are going, though?" Alfred scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh, no. I'll figure it out though." He moved to turn away but Kiku grabbed his sleeve before he could leave.

"If you do that, you will just get lost. I will tell you the directions, but try not to go anywhere else but to the market; you could venture away from Alhliða and we would not be able to find you." Kiku chided. "Now, listen carefully; the market is behind the courtyard," he pointed to the left, through the dense group of people shuffling in the streets. "It is on a wide road that stretches throughout the entire town. It is large enough for carriages and horses to pass by and drop off merchandise, so make sure the path is clear before you cross it. It should not be difficult to find."

"Relax, Kiku," Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid enough to walk in front of a horse; I work in the stables, remember?"

"I should hope not," Kiku said. "Just try to be aware of your surroundings."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Alfred waved him off. "I'm gonna go now, see you guys in a bit! Make sure you meet up with me after your chat, alright? Or else I'm gonna have to assume something bad happened to you guys."

"_Ja_, of course." Ludwig said. Alfred grinned and waved as he walked away, squeezing between two ladies to get onto the bustling street.

From up above, the street looked busy and hectic, but not difficult or hard to travel through. Actually being on the street, however, was another story altogether. Alfred never moved or twisted as much in his life as he did in those ten minutes it took to get from the wall, through the courtyard and to the market street. He ducked underneath baskets of food being passed over his head to a group of farmers, he jumped out of the way of a man carrying a huge four layer cake, he had been shoved by a teenage girl with long grey hair who was crying for her brother, and had walked through the fountain in the courtyard- no, not around it, _through_ it- to avoid more people, which only resulted in getting his pants wet. By the time he reached the actual market place, Alfred was wet, tired and hungry. Thank god he was in the one place where he could buy new clothes and food.

Alfred walked up and down the market street gaping in awe at the variety of objects that were being sold. Man, this was crazy! Maybe he could convince Kiku to buy something for him for keepsakes so he could remember what an awesome experience this had was-

Suddenly, a bright light flashed through Alfred's vision, momentarily blinding him. He cried out in surprise and stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. When he opened his eyes, the bright light was right in his face. Alfred leaned back and blinked, focusing on the glow. Slowly he made out a small body in the middle of the blue orb; it was a fairy. Again. Wait- what was a fairy doing in the middle of Alhliða while there were people everywhere? Alfred frowned at the magical elf while she waved at him with her tiny hand.

"What are you doing here?" he said quietly, trying not to attract attention to himself. As far as he could tell, no one else could see the fairy. She made strange gestures at him, moving her arms in a circle.

"Uh, I'm not getting it," Alfred admitted, smiling weakly at her. The fairy huffed and rolled her eyes then flew to the ground and drew a symbol into the dirt. Looking at it closely, Alfred realized that she had drawn a spade; and not just any spade, it had arrows coming from the center and a line coming out from its tip.

"Is that supposed to be the Spades watch?" He asked, turning back to her. She nodded enthusiastically, her hair flowing around her.

"If you're asking if I have it, I do. It's in my pocket." Psh, like he would've let it out of his sight since the Jokers stole it. "But, why do you-" She flew over to his hand and grabbed his finger, trying to pull him forward. Alfred watched her with a confused expression until she eventually dropped his hand, exhausted. Puffing out her chest, the fairy flew a few feet away and then turned back, gesturing him to follow.

"You want me to follow you?" She nodded again, and he stood up, hesitantly following the fairy as she flew in front of him. Once more, Alfred had to move around other Suits citizens but this time he had to keep an eye on the magical creature floating in the air, afraid that he would lose sight of her in the crowd. Alfred ignored it when someone yelled at him for walking into them or other objects. In all honesty, he could care less about what other people thought at the moment; interesting things happened whenever he was with or saw the fairies. And interesting was what Alfred lived for.

Which is the exact reason why Alfred walked into the middle of the street without checking if there were any horses or carts passing by first. By the time Alfred realized where he was, the fairy was waving frantically at him to move, a horrified expression on her face, and a carriage with four horses was galloping towards him at full speed, showing no signs of slowing down.

And Alfred was straight in the middle of their path.

There was no time to move, no time to think, no time for Alfred to do anything; all he could do was stand there, frozen in shock as fear ran through him. He felt like screaming or running, but there was no time! Instead Alfred could do nothing but stare in horror as his destiny raced towards him at a sickeningly fast pace. He was going to die. Alfred was going to die and there was nothing anybody could do to-

"NO!" a terrified scream tore through the silence, sounding as horrified and scared as Alfred felt at that very moment. It cut straight through the air, piercing Alfred where he stood. "NO! WATCH OUT-"

The next thing he knew, a large, warm object collided with Alfred, but not from the direction he was expecting. Instead the thing came from his right, crashing into Alfred's side with enough strength and speed to launch both of them out of the horses' path and into a food stand on the opposite end of the road. Alfred was thrown into a crate of tomatoes, his head banging against the wooden wall behind him. After gasping out in pain, Alfred blearily opened his eyes to see the carriage barging past, running right across the spot where Alfred had been standing not a second before if not for the mysterious person who had just saved his life.

Alfred felt something shaking on top of him, and he looked down to see a mop of messy blond hair lying on his chest. The thing that had crashed into Alfred was a person- a male, more specifically- and at the moment, he had his arms wrapped around Alfred's body, clutching the back of Alfred's clothes desperately. For a second there was nothing except the sound of their two heartbeats beating in unison, but then the other stirred, the blonde hair moving against Alfred's torso. Alfred felt is breath catch as the boy slowly removed his arms and looked up to stare at Alfred. Emerald green eyes met sapphire blue ones, and Alfred felt something twitch in his pocket.

The pocket watch.

Alfred sucked in a deep shuddering breath, a different kind of fear forming inside of him than the one he had felt when the horses were charging at him. Meanwhile, the boy continued to gaze at Alfred intensely, and Alfred had a moment to notice his huge, furry eyebrows before the boy opened his mouth.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" he shrieked at Alfred, outrage flashing in his eyes.

-o0o-

"In these negotiations we are not a helpless object, although great world powers are involved. We play an active role and try to influence our destiny; we have our own trump cards and we use them."  
>Alija Izetbegovic<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(German) Ja-yes

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***Alhliða is a large town in the middle of the four Kingdoms at the center of No-Man's-Land. No one lives in the village, but important decisions between the Kingdoms are made there, and sometimes travelers stay in the houses on their way to other Suits. Other than that, the place is mostly abandoned except during the Gathering for at most a week every year, depending on how long it takes to travel there. Everyone speaks Hoppípollan in Alhliða, which is why Alfred can understand Arthur at the end of the chapter.**


	6. Chapter 5, Alhliða

**12/22/2011**

**I know the story is going a little slow right now, but I'm not the kind of person who writes long chapters and only updates once a month. I write until I feel like it's a good place to stop, and that's it. Also, I wanted to let you guys know that the next chapter (chapter 6) will be in Arthur's point of view. Hope you guys don't mind.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Alhliða, center of No-Man's-Land_

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" he shrieked at Alfred, outrage flashing in his eyes.

"I-I-" Alfred stuttered, taken by surprise at the anger in the other's voice. He had not expected his savior to sound so…irritated.

The boy huffed in annoyance, and shoved Alfred away, stumbling upwards. He staggered into the street and glared at the carriage that was speeding away.

"Coward!" He yelled at the retreating figure. "Coward! You nearly run someone over and you just continue on your merry way, do you? You bloody-" He started to walk angrily after the carriage, still calling the driver names and insults. When it was obvious that it was too far away to hear anything he was saying, the boy began to curse, using words that Alfred would be embarrassed to say, much less hear.

Alfred scrambled to stand up, wincing when the tomatoes stuck to the back of his pants. Great, now he was wet, hungry, and there were tomatoes on his butt. Kiku was gonna give him one of those disappointed looks if he ever saw the mess Alfred had gotten himself into. But that would have to wait for later.

"Hey, hey," Alfred jogged over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him away from the road. People were already staring from the accident, and he really didn't want to be caught in the center of attention at the moment. "Calm down, I'm sure the guy didn't mean to run me over-"

The boy whirled around, anger contorting his features. Alfred took a step backwards as the boy started to shout into his face.

"'Didn't mean to'?" he repeated incredulously, and Alfred shrunk away slightly at the fury in the other's voice. "What do you mean he 'didn't mean to'? He did not even bother to slow down the horses! He could have run you over and he would not have paused to see whom he had hurt! You could have _died_! Don't you dare tell me that he 'didn't mean to'!"

"I-" it took Alfred a moment to compose himself to think of something, anything to say; he was not used to people shouting in his face. In Hearts, a person responded calmly and with restraint if another committed treason against them. This guy on the other hand, was clearly not from Hearts. He looked slightly crazy, glaring at Alfred with his fists at his side. Really, why was he mad at Alfred? Alfred hadn't done anything…well, except nearly get run over by a few horses, that is.

"Well, yeah, he did almost kill me," Alfred admitted. "And if it hadn't been for you-"

"Arthur," said the boy, gritting his teeth. "I have a name, and it's Arthur."

"Okay, Arthur then. If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead meat right now. So, thank you for saving me-"

"You're welcome," he huffed, crossing his arms and scowling.

"-_but_," Alfred continued. "You, seriously need to chill out, dude. This whole thing could have been an accident, the guy steering the horses might not have seen me. Plus, no offense, but what's the point in chasing after the carriage when it's obvious that the guy can't hear you anymore?" Arthur recoiled, shock flashing across his face. Then he turned an ugly shade of red, an odd combination with his bright green eyes.

"You-you-" Arthur stuttered. "You insolent little git!" Alfred started at the alien word. He had no idea what 'git' meant, but the way Arthur was talking, he was pretty sure it wasn't a compliment. "I saved your bloody life, and you're criticizing me for being angry at the person who would have been your killer?"

"No, I'm not criticizing you for being angry," Alfred said, starting to get annoyed. Couldn't this guy just let it go? "I just think that it's dumb to go out into the street and start cursing the driver when you don't know him or why he was making the horses go as fast as he did. He could've been having a bad day, right? You don't know why he was rushing, so why should you judge him? Besides, you can't tell who was in that carriage, so there's no point in chasing after him."

"Alright then, Mr. Calm and Composed," Arthur growled. Wonderful, Alfred thought, he was still angry. "What would you have me do? Just excuse him for nearly killing someone because '_he was having a bad day_'?"

"Jeesh, you're madder than I am, and I'm the one that nearly died," Alfred said, shaking his head in wonder. Why was this guy freaking out so much over this? He and Alfred didn't even know each other, yet he was acting like a close family member had been the one in danger. "I'm just saying that maybe you should calm down a little bit since you don't know who the guy was and you never will. There's no point in getting mad at someone who you'll never meet. Personally, I'm just happy that I'm alive and that someone was brave enough to put their own life at risk and save me," he smiled at Arthur who glowered in return. "So, I'm going to count my blessings that I'm still breathing and move on."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to him, staring into Alfred's eyes as if searching for something. Alfred nervously stood his ground; Arthur didn't seem particularly dangerous, but there was something about him that put Alfred on edge. Besides, Alfred didn't like being closely observed as he was right now. It reminded him of warrior training, and that had never been a fun experience regardless if he was good at it or not.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked suddenly, his anger momentarily disappearing.

"Alfred."

"Alfred what?"

"Jones, Alfred Jones." Alfred said, feeling like he was being put under watch.

"Well then, Alfred Jones, at your request I will put this behind me, but only because you asked. I think that it is odd that you would ask pardon for a person that could have brought about your end, though. Most people would be ready to hunt their would-be-murderer down in order to get their revenge." He continued to stare intensely at the Hearts teenager, and Alfred noticed that he was taller than Arthur. Much taller, in fact. Arthur's head only came up to reach Alfred's nose. Alfred laughed silently at himself for not being afraid of fighting a huge guy like Braginski, yet he was still intimidated by a boy smaller than himself by about half a foot.

"I guess I'm just…special." Alfred said, noting the irony in the statement. The clock in his pocket twitched again, and he resisted the urge to reach down to touch it. What was with this pocket watch? Was it alive or something?

"So it would seem," said Arthur finally, leaning away from Alfred.

"Arthur! _Mon ami_!" called a voice from somewhere back behind the pair. Arthur turned around just as a tall blonde man with wavy hair burst from the crowd in the streets. Alfred watched with amusement as the man straightened up and brushed off his clothes daintily before over to the pair.

"Arthur, I have been looking for you," the man said when he finally reached them.

"Francis," Arthur said, a scowl forming on his face once more. Alfred wondered if Arthur ever smiled or if he was just usually this grumpy. "What are you doing here? I thought I had lost you a while ago." The man- Francis, Alfred assumed- chuckled, his light blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"_Oui_, but it is not easy for anyone to lose me for long. Especially you, _mon cher_." Alfred frowned. _Mon cher_ was a French word. Only people in Diamonds spoke French; did that mean Arthur and this Francis guy was from Diamonds? Alfred had heard rumors about Diamonds; they were supposed to be airheads. Arthur didn't look like an airhead. It was almost like a gut feeling he had; Alfred just instantly knew that Arthur wasn't a Diamond. It was impossible; Arthur had to belong to a different Suit.

"Shut up, you pervert," Arthur said. "I never asked you to stalk me."

"Ah, but it is so much fun! Besides, if I had not followed you, I would not have seen your little, ah, _hero_ act you preformed." Arthur just glared at the French man, not saying anything. Alfred was silent as well, feeling invisible between the two hostile males. For whatever reason, it was obvious that they did not get along well. "You know, that was a foolish thing to do." Francis scolded.

"Saving a life is never foolish!" Arthur snapped.

"But you have responsibilities, I cannot even imagine what would happen if you were to die. After all, there are a great number of people depending on you, including me." Arthur tensed slightly.

"I'm sure you would survive." Arthur said stiffly. "You would just find another person to torment."

"Arthur, you know that is not what I meant-"

"Francis," Arthur overrode the other's last sentence. "This is Alfred Jones, the person's life I just saved. Alfred Jones, this is Francis Bonnefoy…a royal pain-in-the-arse Frog." Alfred snorted loudly, and then tried to pass it off as a cough when the two stared at him.

"Francis, er, hi." Alfred said somewhat awkwardly. Francis raised an eyebrow.

"_Bonjour_, Alfred. A pleasure to meet you," he nodded his head at the other. "You should consider yourself lucky to be breathing. Arthur risked much to save your life."

"I do," Alfred assured him, wondering what he meant. The way Francis was talking, it was almost as if he was hinting that Arthur was a-

"Why were you even in the middle of the road in the first place?" Arthur asked him, his irritation returning. "That was one of the most stupid acts I have ever seen anyone do in their life. Didn't anyone teach you to look both ways before crossing the street?"

"Of course!" Alfred bristled; he hated it whenever someone talked to him like he was a kid. He was a teenager, not a toddler for Ace's sake. "I was just following something and I didn't notice where I was going…" Speaking of which, where was that fairy anyways? Alfred turned around in a circle, his brow furrowing when he could not find her. Why was everyone suddenly disappearing on him? Seriously, it wasn't funny anymore.

"Following what?" Arthur asked impatiently.

"Nothing," Alfred said. Arthur would just laugh at him if he found out Alfred had been trailing a magical elf that he didn't even understand half of the time.

"It cannot be 'nothing' if it made you forget yourself so much that you would walk into the middle of a crowded street," said Francis.

"I _said_ it was nothing," Alfred said firmly. "I just-"

"Alfred!" another voice cried out, surprising the trio enough to make them all jump. "Alfred! Oh, thank Ace!"

Alfred instantly knew the voice; he turned to the source only to have another small person collide into his chest for the second time that day. Alfred gasped as Kiku hugged him with a strength that Alfred would have never expected from the smaller boy.

"Oh, thank Ace you are alright," he sobbed into Alfred's shirt. "We heard about the carriage only just a minute ago, I was sure that you were dead!" Over his friend's head, Alfred saw Ludwig making his way through the crowd at a slower but still frantic pace. He visibly relaxed when he recognized Alfred, a relieved smile appearing on his tired face.

"Alfred," he said when he was within hearing range. "You are alright? You scared us for a moment."

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Alfred said, attentively embracing Kiku. "I didn't mean to scare you guys." Kiku moved away, unshed tears making his dark eyes glossy.

"It is alright," he sniffed. "As long as you are safe and unhurt, that is all that matters." Ludwig nodded in agreement. Arthur quietly coughed behind him and Alfred started; he had almost forgotten that Francis and Arthur were still there.

"Uh, Kiku, this is Arthur, he's the one who saved me." Alfred stood to the side and gestured the other two to come closer. Arthur stepped forward and shook hands with Kiku easily as if he was used to formal introductions.

"Arthur Kirkland," he introduced himself.

"Kiku Honda," the other responded. "Thank you so much for saving my best friend's life; you have no idea how much he means to me." Arthur glanced at Alfred, who blushed slightly at Kiku's comment.

"Yes, he is very…special." Arthur said slowly.

"Hai," Kiku agreed. "He is."

"A little oblivious," Arthur continued, ignoring Alfred's annoyed exclamation in the background. "But defiantly interesting." Kiku smiled weakly.

"Well, I did tell him to be careful, but I guess he did not listen." Alfred glowered at Kiku while Arthur's lips twitched in amusement.

"He does not seem to be the type of people who would listen."

"You would assume correctly." The pair laughed simultaneously, obviously sharing the same type of dry humor. As they continued to converse politely, Alfred leaned closer to Ludwig to talk to him.

"Where's Feli?" Alfred whispered, genuinely concerned. "I haven't seen him since yesterday when we arrived." Feliciano Vargas was a disaster waiting to happen, and could easily end up hurting himself due to some clumsy accident. He was normally around someone serious like Ludwig so that he could be restrained to some extent.

"He is with his brother," Ludwig responded quietly so that no one else but he and Alfred could hear. Alfred blinked in surprise at the other's response.

"What? He has a brother?"

"_Ja_. They are twins."

"Why didn't I know this? I've known him for a while now and he never once mentioned he had a sibling."

Ludwig shrugged his shoulders, keeping a watchful eye on Kiku as the smaller male uncomfortably shook hands with Francis.

"Feliciano does not like to talk about his brother," Ludwig said carefully phrasing his words so not to insult Alfred. "They were separated when they were very young, before you ever met either of them." Alfred's blue eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

"They belong to different Suits?" he asked. Ludwig nodded with a sad but almost understanding expression.

"That's not fair!" Alfred hissed under his breath. "That means they can't even visit or see each other at any other time then the Gathering!"

"_Ja_, well, it is forbidden for anyone to travel to another Suit without permission from the King or Queen. It is dangerous-" Ludwig said quickly, overriding Alfred who had opened his mouth angrily. "-to travel through No-Man's-Land without company, you know that. And it takes supplies, tools, weapons, and guards to make the entire transition. It is too expensive for just anyone to travel where ever, whenever they want. Besides, Feliciano and his brother do not get along well together because they are very, _very_ different. I believe Feliciano is fine with only seeing his brother once a year."

"But they have to miss each other," Alfred protested. "It's not-"

"Not, fair, I know, _believe_ _me_, I know." Ludwig said tolerantly. "But these are the rules though, and without rules-"

"Without rules, there would be no order, resulting in mass chaos and destruction." Alfred recited from heart with impatience. "Yes, I get that; I learned it in warrior training. But-"

"Alfred, you are an excellent, talented, and loyal warrior," Ludwig said. "Even if you tend to question the rules more than follow them. However, this is something you cannot change, so please do not challenge me on this issue. The Kings and Queens of all the Suits agreed on this a long time ago, even _I _cannot do anything about it. Please do your duty as a warrior and obey your King."

Alfred frowned at his friend, but let the disagreement slide. Ludwig rarely addressed him as the Hearts King, and Alfred had a duty to follow his orders whenever he did.

"Okay, fine," Alfred huffed, staring at his feet and trying to hide his aggravation. Why the Kings and Queens of the past agreed on a stupid rule like that was beyond him. It was completely unjust. Ludwig sighed and ruffled Alfred's hair in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Alfred, one day that creativity and boldness of yours will make you a legendary Hearts soldier; maybe even general. Then you might be able to modify the rules if you want to do it badly enough. But as for now, just accept what your limitations." Alfred remained silent, hating his uselessness.

"Ludwig," Kiku called. "Come over here, I want to introduce you Arthur Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy, our two new friends."

Ludwig placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder firmly before walking over to join his Queen. Alfred hung back, an almost guilty feeling forming inside of him. But that was stupid; why should he feel guilty? He hadn't done anything wrong.

_But_, a voice whispered inside of his head, _you're not a Hearts citizen, are you? You don't have a Heart Tattoo. You might not end up becoming the Hearts warrior prodigy that Ludwig thinks you are. You might end up betraying them; you could leave Hearts if you want to and go live in another Kingdom_-

No! Alfred thought back angrily. I will not betray my friends or my Kingdom! A Hearts Tattoo will appear somewhere on me sooner or later, I'm sure of it!

At that moment, Arthur chose to turn away from Ludwig to look at Alfred. Their gazes locked, and Alfred's Spade clock moved of its own accord. It jumped slightly in his pocket, and Alfred immediately reached down to quiet it. Instantly, the clock calmed at his touch, fitting into the palm of his hand perfectly as if made for him.

I won't betray Hearts, Alfred silently repeated to himself, stroking the face of the watch with his thumb. But as Arthur turned back to the group, smiling politely at something Kiku had said, Alfred felt seeds of doubt forming in the back of his mind.

-o0o-

"The most common mistake in history is underestimating your opponent; it happens at the poker table all the time."

David Shoup

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(French) _Mon ami_- my friend

_Oui_- yes

_Mon cher_- my darling

(Japanese) Hai- that is what "yes" sounds like when spoken out loud in Japanese

(German) _Ja_-yes


	7. Chapter 6, Alhliða

**1/1/2012**

**Happy New Years everybody! ^^ This is the longest chapter I have ever written so far, so I hope you guys like it! Sorry if it is confusing at any point.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Alhliða, center of No-Man's-Land_

Arthur Kirkland hated it whenever someone told him what to do or how to do it. That was one of the reasons why he was fine with not having a King; he really didn't need another person telling him how to do his job since Yao did that most of the time anyways. Like right now, for instance.

"That was extremely foolhardy of you," Yao said, pacing back and forth across the wooden floor, turning every now and then to give Arthur a disapproving glare. "As the Queen of Spades-"

"Yes, yes, I am fully aware of my responsibilities," Arthur said, sitting on a chair and folding his arms. "Besides, Francis already scolded me on my actions the entire way here; you do not need to repeat everything he said." Yao stopped pacing, choosing instead to stand in front of Arthur instead. Arthur scowled up at him; another thing he hated was when people spoke down to him. It made him feel like a child again, which was not a topic he liked to revisit.

"Let me finish speaking," Yao said. "As your Jack and advisor, it is in your best interest to listen to what I have to say." Arthur sighed but relaxed, unfolding his arms and looking up at Yao expectantly.

"As Queen of Spades," Yao continued. "Your actions weigh more heavily than that of any other Queen in any other Suit. You have no King, and as a result, every move you make whether it be taking a breath or declaring war affects the public's opinion of you. All responsibility for what happens to our precious Kingdom falls on your shoulders. If you were to be seriously injured, there would be no one to take your place or help you. You are _alone_ in this, do you understand? You need to recognize the consequences of your actions!" Arthur felt his heart shudder slightly at the word 'alone', but he quenched the reaction. Arthur was used to being on his own; in fact he liked it; why was he getting all choked up over a single remark Yao had said?

"Yes, well, there is no need to worry." Arthur said. "I have my magic, and London* to protect myself. I would not be so irrational as to risk my life unless it was for something important." Yao raised a thin eyebrow.

"Then what about today? Did you see something in London that told you the boy you saved would play a crucial role in the future of the Spades Kingdom?" Arthur frowned.

"No, I haven't had any visions since arriving here."

"Then why did you risk it?" Yao hissed. "You should know better, Arthur!"

"I do know better!" Arthur snapped. "I…I don't know why I did it, alright? It was a spur of the moment decision, it just…happened." He turned away from Yao's penetrating glare to stare out the window at the still bustling street even though it was nearing nightfall. He closed his eyes, remembering the hectic events of the afternoon.

The boy, the carriage, and everything else had been a strange experience for someone who had only lived in Spades his entire life. Arthur only went to the Gatherings because he was Royalty, and therefore had to attend the event to show his support for peace among the Suits. However, it was not something he looked forward to; he hated being in places where he was not in control. Here, everyone belonged to different Kingdoms of which Arthur had no influence over. As a result, he spent most of his time in Alhliða sulking on rooftops, detached from the crowds and joyous company.

Today had been the first time that he had actually interacted with people other than those he already knew. What Arthur had told Yao had been true; he did know the risk of what would- could- happen if he died, yet he still went out of his way to save that boy's life. Why? Maybe it was because Alfred Jones looked like an older version of his younger brother, Peter. They had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, except for the famous Kirkland eyebrows, of course.

But it wasn't that either, Arthur thought to himself, purposefully avoiding Yao's gaze. He had been drawn to the boy like a magnet, or like a moth to a flame. At first he had thought that the bizarre feeling was just a source of powerful magic that he was sensing, which would have been understandable seeing that Arthur was a wizard. However, he was soon realized that it was something else, something more. The moment Arthur saw Alfred Jones standing there, alone in the middle of the street with death rapidly approaching, he had been overcome with a desperate need to save the boy from his fate. Arthur didn't need London to know that if he had not acted when he did, Alfred Jones would be dead. So, no. He had not received any visions since coming to Alhliða, but he had a nagging feeling that the boy was important for whatever reason. Which was utterly absurd; he was just a normal person after all.

Even now, Arthur was sitting on the edge of his seat, nervously tapping his feet and rubbing his hands together. He watched the people pass through the streets out of his window, his eyes moving back and forth as if searching for something. Arthur forced himself to stop, annoyed with himself. Really, this was getting to be ridiculous. The boy is- _was_, Arthur reminded himself- nothing. He wasn't even a Spades citizen (Arthur knew every one of his citizens that had traveled to Alhliða), so why was Arthur so worried about him? True, the boy could be a Royal from another Deck, but he did not have the charismatic personality that one usually gained from being a ruler. If anything the boy's friends- Kiku Honda and Ludwig Beilschmidt was it? - had a higher possibility of being Royalty. How Alfred Jones became friends with such a serious blonde and calm brunette was a mystery to him.

Yao sighed, effectively breaking Arthur's train of thought.

"Nothing ever just happens with you, Arthur." He said and Arthur frowned, unsure if the meaning behind the words was good or bad. "Are you still planning on going to the ceremony tonight?"

"Of course," Arthur replied. "I always go, even if I do not participate in it, and what happened today is not going to interfere with my plans. In fact, it's getting dark out so I better get going." He stood up, heading towards the door. Yao made a startled exclamation but hurried to follow.

"No! Do not go!" Yao stepped in front of Arthur, blocking his path. Arthur halted.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Arthur asked, irritated. "Need I remind you of who is the Queen here, Yao?" The Chinese man shook his head.

"That is not what I meant; I did not mean for it to come out so harsh sounding."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I have a bad feeling about this, Arthur. Please do not go to the ceremony; I have a sense that something terrible is going to happen soon and I do not want you to be caught in the middle of it."

Arthur hesitated. Yao was a smart, intelligent person, even if he was sometimes demanding and lacking compassion; he was Jack for a reason, after all. His advice had helped Arthur make many difficult choices concerning the Kingdom. Also, Arthur believed that Yao genuinely cared about him as a friend and would be upset if something happened to him. But…Arthur had to go to the Gathering ceremony. He had to know why he was constantly having this anxious feeling, and why it had started when he had met Alfred Jones.

"I'm going, Yao." He said finally. Yao started to say something, probably to disagree with Arthur, but the Queen held up his hand. Yao stopped talking immediately. "Nothing you say is going to change my mind." Arthur told him, reaching for his cloak. "Now, would you kindly move?"

"I'm coming with you," Yao said, surprising Arthur.

"You are?"

"Yes, I'm not going to let you do anything stupid again."

"So, basically, you are just coming to keep watch on me."

"Exactly. Let's go." Yao yanked the door open and stepped outside, not bothering to check if Arthur would follow or not. Arthur sighed, but wrapped his cloak around his shoulders before walking out into the streets.

Before Arthur could move even a foot away from the door, he was shoved back into the wall by Yao. He grimaced as the crowds pushed towards the sides of the streets, making way for a group of passing horses. Why people thought it was a good idea to bring horses down one of the busiest streets in all of Alhliða was a mystery to Arthur. Was it really so hard to take the side roads to the market place?

Yao leaned away from Arthur when the crowd finally flooded back into the center of the street. The pair cautiously moved through the groups of people, trying to avoid being separated. Yao and Arthur had known each other for many years and had accomplished much together in the time as they ruled Spades. Arthur more often than not found himself wishing that they never found the King of Spades; Yao and Arthur were fine on their own and it took a long time for Arthur to get used to another person before being friendly.

As they continued on their way, Arthur felt strangely detached from the ground; he felt like he was moving in slow motion. He couldn't concentrate; his mind kept going in and out of focus as the sun started to set. The sky turned bright gold with tints of ruby red closer to the sun and darker sapphire blue farther away. Stars started to appear as shadows covered the town, shinning out of the dark like yellow diamonds. More and more people began to pour out of the stone huts and onto the cluttered streets, heading the same direction as everyone else; to the courtyard where the celebration would take place.

When they finally reached the courtyard, Arthur paused at the entrance, staring at the scene before him, just as amazed as he was every year.

The place was alive: music flowed through the air, created by using any kind of instruments possible; the fountain in the middle glowed, radiating shades of all colors and tinting the stones around it; the delicious aroma of food came from piles of tables stacked up to the brim with dinner trays, which were scattered throughout; fireflies and even fairies hovered lazily in the air, sometimes ducking in and out of tree branches.

The people themselves were probably the most interesting part of the entire place, though. People of all different sizes, shapes and colors filled the courtyard, all wearing clothes of the same pure white. Talking and singing almost overpowered the music, yet the dancers were still somehow able to keep time to the beat. Others sat on benches and chairs, laughing while their companions made faces trying the unusual types of dishes. Children ran in-between adult legs and chased each other, giggling at strange accents. Arthur felt a rush of awe at seeing such a rare display of unity and openness between people of different Kingdoms. It was soon followed by a wish for things to stay like it were at this very moment, but Arthur knew all too well as a Royal that it was impossible. The Royalties of the Suits were just too proud and different to give up their power in order to coexist as one Kingdom.

"Arthur," Yao said, pulling him out of the way of a group of passing teenagers. "Do you see Francis or Vash anywhere? Everyone is moving too fast and I cannot make out any faces…"

"No, but I will bet you anything that Francis is surrounded by a group a young, pretty girls all clamoring for his attention-"

"Arthur!" a voice cried out. Arthur's eyes widened when he saw Alfred of all people waving at him through the crowd. The boy beamed as he drew closer, practically glowing with happiness. A blue light hovered over his right shoulder, puzzling Arthur for a moment before he realized that it was a fairy. And not just any fairy; her name was Eleana, and she was a personal friend of Arthur's ever since he was little. Not only that, but she was the messenger and daughter of the fairy Queen herself. What was a fairy of her status doing hanging out with someone like Alfred Jones?

"Arthur! I'm so glad to see you!" Alfred said, acting oblivious to Eleana who was casually sitting on his shoulder and trying to avoid Arthur's gaze. "I wanted to thank you again for earlier and everything-"

"Excuse me," Yao interrupted. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"Who are you?" Alfred said bluntly. Arthur quickly stepped in-between the two before Yao could react.

"Yao, this is Alfred Jones, Alfred, this is Yao Wang, my friend." Arthur said impatiently. "Alfred how did you-"

"Yao Wang? Why does that sound familiar?" Alfred wondered out loud.

"It is a common name," Yao said coldly, observing him with an unimpressed expression. "Arthur, is this the person you-"

"Yes, yes it is." Arthur said.

"Hmph, still doesn't look worth the risk to me." Yao huffed.

"Hey! I'm still here!" Alfred protested. The two glared at each other.

"I am leaving!" Yao announced, annoyed. "I will not stay in the presence of someone so obviously uneducated in the ways of respect. Arthur I will be with Francis if you need me." He promptly turned on his heel and left.

"You're friends with _that_ guy?" Alfred asked, staring after Yao until his back disappeared from view.

"That doesn't matter!" Arthur snapped. "Alfred, why is there a fairy on your shoulder?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Alfred trying to fake obliviousness and failing terribly.

"You are a dreadful liar, Alfred. Plus, there is no point in lying to me; I can _see_ her!" Arthur said and pointed at Eleana.

"You can see her?"

"Yes!" Arthur cried. "I know her, in fact!"

"What? Really? That's awesome- does that mean you know her name?" Alfred asked eagerly. Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"It's Eleana. How is it you don't know her name? How long have you known her?"

"About a year now, but I can't understand what she's saying! Their elfin language is so weird and foreign. I mean, trust me, your language is cool and all," he said, looking down at Eleana. "But I don't get any of it. Your name's Eleana?" She nodded. "I like it! That's such a pretty name, and it fits you perfectly!"

Wait a second, did she just _blush_? Arthur thought, staring at her with disbelief.

"Its okay, Alfred." She said softly, her voice unique from any human's. "We can still communicate the way we have been for now."

"What did she say?" Alfred looked at him with wide eyes.

"You really have no idea what she is saying?" Arthur said. Alfred shook his head.

"No. I mean, I'm great with languages, but when it comes to the elf language, I'm completely lost. I think it's amazing that you can though! You must be really smart!"

"O-oh," Arthur felt his face warm at the compliment. "Well, yes, I am very smart…She said that it does not matter that you cannot understand her, that you can continue communicating the way you have been so far. Which I am very interesting in seeing since you haven't ever kept secrets from me before." He glared at her while she attempted to hide behind Alfred's neck.

"I have to go!" she squeaked and flew away as fast as she could.

"Hey- what- where are you going?" Alfred cried. "Why did you scare her away?" he said to Arthur.

"I did not scare her away!" Arthur sputtered. "She just didn't want to talk to me so she flew away to avoid it altogether! I did not scare her in any way, she decided to leave."

After that there was an awkward moment of silence. Arthur looked anywhere but at Alfred, slightly worried that he had said something that would offend him. Alfred, on the other hand, stared longingly at the people twirling around the fountain.

"Hey, do you want to dance?" Alfred asked suddenly.

"Dance?" Arthur repeated, surprised.

"Yeah, dancing, ya know? It's when you sway your hips, and spin around and –"

"I know what dancing is!" Arthur snapped. "I want to know why you want to do it."

"'Cause it's fun, duh." He rolled his eyes at Arthur, who in turn scowled in annoyance. "Unless, you don't know how to dance or something-"

"I know how to dance, fool! I just…don't know any of the moves." Almost all of the dances that were playing during the Gathering had steps in time with the beat. And since Arthur had never bothered to socialize at the event before today, he had never considered learning any of the moves.

Alfred laughed out loud at Arthur's statement.

"Don't worry about that, dude. I don't know the moves either." Arthur blinked.

"You- you don't?" he asked and Alfred beamed.

"Nope! This is my first year here, remember?"

"But, if you don't know anything, and I don't know anything," Arthur started to say.

"Then we can be fools together!" Alfred finished for him. "Besides, I'm not completely clueless; Kiku taught me some of the dances earlier today…"

"And you think that little amount information is sufficient enough to survive a dance together?" Arthur said skeptically. Alfred shrugged.

"Well, yeah, why not? You probably know some of the moves too, since you've been coming here more than I have anyways. And who cares? The point of tonight is to have fun, and dancing is fun. So, do you wanna?" Arthur winced at the other's grammar, but nodded hesitantly. Alfred's face instantly lit up.

"Great! Let's go!" He grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him to the center of the courtyard. Once they arrived, Alfred released his hold on the smaller boy and the two faced each other.

"You don't mind if I lead, right?" Alfred said.

"I don't have much of a choice in the matter," Arthur said dryly. "You are the one who knows the moves, correct?" Alfred blushed.

"Right, sorry, that was a stupid question." He muttered. He tilted his head to the side, listening as a slower song began to play. Arthur could tell when he recognized the song by the way Alfred's expression softened. "Okay, here we go, I know this one. Hold your hands up, level with your face." Alfred raised his arms, making sure that the palms of his hands were facing Arthur. Arthur mimicked him, and their hands touched, their palms pressed against the other.

"Now what?" Arthur asked, unsure of how to react to almost holding hands with a person he had met less than a day ago.

"Now we turn in a circle," The pair turned 360 degrees, trying to copy the pace of the other dancers around them. "And then we drop our left hand-" Arthur immediately did what Alfred said. "-and we circle again, but in the opposite direction…"

"If we keep turning like this, I am going to get dizzy and fall." Arthur grumbled. Alfred laughed again.

"Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you." They paused, and Arthur took the chance to stare curiously at his dancing partner.

"You would, would you?"

"Yup! I owe you my life, after all." The sentence rang in Arthur's ears as they continued to dance, regardless of how lightly the statement had been said.

All in all, it was probably the best night of Arthur's life; better than the day he had been chosen for Queen, better than the night he had beaten up Francis at that stupid introduction ball and most defiantly better than any of the previous Gatherings. In fact, he couldn't remember any other time he had so much fun. Arthur danced and ran around the courtyard so much that he was out of breath all night and was too busy to take even a sip of alcohol, which was a first for him. Alfred had convinced him to sit down and eat some food at some point, though. He didn't see Yao or Francis the entire time, choosing to hang out with Alfred, and occasionally talking to Kiku Honda.

At one point, Alfred had pulled Arthur to the side, ducking behind one of the ancient trees bordering the courtyard. As he peered out at the crowd with narrowed eyes, Arthur asked him what was wrong. Alfred turned back to look at him, a frown on his face.

"Do you see that guy over there, standing next to the fountain? He's really big and has white-ish hair?" Arthur squinted at the crowd, searching until he found the man Alfred was talking about. He did have white-ish hair, and he was extremely large. He even had violet eyes, which was quite interesting. But the part about him that scared Arthur the most was the man's smile, which looked innocent enough until he began to notice how it almost had a menacing edge to it.

"Yes, I see him." Arthur answered. "What about him?"

"Stay away from him," Alfred said. "He's bad news."

"I could have told you that! I mean, you just have to get a look at him to know that you don't want to mess with a person like that!" Alfred shook his head.

"No, seriously, Arthur. Stay away from him. I had a fight with him once, and although at the time it was really funny and all, he could probably beat a small guy like you to a pulp." Arthur scowled and pushed Alfred away from him.

"What you have no faith in my ability to take care of myself?" he asked, insulted.

"I- no, it's not that! I just don't want to see my friend get hurt!"

Arthur felt as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him.

"What?" Arthur said. He stared at Alfred numbly while the boy frowned.

"I said, I don't want you to get hurt. You're my friend, and friends watch out for each other."

"You- you want to be my friend?"

"Well, yeah. I kinda just assumed that we were already friends. With the whole saving life thing and all, it's kinda hard not to be friends. Plus, I like you, Arthur. You're cool." His smile slowly fell as Arthur continued to look at him with a blank expression. "That is unless you don't want to be my friend or something-"

"No!" Arthur yelped, causing Alfred to jump. "I mean, yes. I would like that, to be friends that is." Alfred's grin returned, and Arthur wondered if there was ever a limit to the boy's continuous joy. Then he threw his arms around Arthur in a bear hug. Arthur, taken once again by shock, stilled in Alfred's embrace before slowly relaxing and gently hugging him back.

-o0o-

Arthur was standing in the middle of hell. There was no other way to describe the terrible scene that he was in the middle of. Once tall, proud buildings lay in shambles, their huge stones were scattered on the ground. The air was thick with smoke from huge fires that painted the sky blood red. It was unbearably hot, as well.

Arthur took one breath, and chocked, falling onto his knees. As he coughed into his hand, flecks of white ash landed in his hair and on stones around him. Suddenly there was the sound of a huge explosion. The ground shook, and Arthur covered his head with his arms. He squeezed his eyes shut as rocks fell off their piles of stone, landing dangerously close to him. Where was he? He had never seen such a place as destroyed as this. Certainly, none of the Kingdoms were at war at the moment, so what was going on here? Finally, everything stopped moving and he was able to lift his head without fearing of something harming him. Cautiously, he stood up, and looked left and right for any sign of life other than himself. Someone must be around, right?

"This…this cannot be happening." Arthur turned to see two people standing on top of one of the piles of stone. Both were small, their clothes torn and matted. One was slightly taller that the other, and was staring at the scene before him in horror with bright green eyes. He also had dirty blonde hair and- wait. Wait. Was that- was that him?

"I cannot believe you would do such a terrible thing," The second Arthur continued to say, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands into fists. The original Arthur stared at the other with dismay when he realized what was going on. He was having a vision of the future. This was going to happen in the future. But how, and why for Ace's sake? What could have made another Kingdom so mad as to go to war with Spades and cause such mass destruction?

"I am not to blame for this," said the other smaller person who was standing behind the second Arthur. The original Arthur slowly walked forward, trying to get a look at the second person.

"Of course it's your fault!" the second Arthur snapped, whirling around and glaring at the other. "You're the one who attacked! How is this any way not your fault?"

"You took something from me," the smaller man said coldly, his dark eyes showing no mercy. "And you are the one who attacked me and my family first. And I protect my family." The original Arthur watched the stranger carefully. He was sure that he was not a Spades citizen, but he had a strange feeling that he had met him before. His voice sounded familiar….

"This," said the second Arthur, gesturing their surroundings. "This is not protection. This is evil. You've killed millions of innocent people, and for what? For revenge on what a single person did? Just how low have you sunk Kiku Honda, Queen of Hearts?" The real Arthur recoiled when Kiku's name was spoken out loud. He stared with disbelief at the Kiku of the future, almost unable to comprehend what he had just learned. Kiku, on the other hand, did not flinch at the future Arthur's accusations.

"I did what I had to do, Arthur. You of all people should understand this."

"No, no, I don't." the future Arthur croaked, angry tears building in his eyes. "You didn't have to murder Yao, and the Royal Deck. Or my citizens. You could've talked to us; we could have avoided all of this with an agreement of some sort between our Kingdoms-"

"No!" Kiku cried. "No, no, no, no, no! I tried, Arthur! I tried to reason with you, but you would not listen! So now, now you pay the price for your foolishness and pride." Kiku was breathing hard as he pulled out a gun from the back of his pocket. He pointed it at future Arthur, aiming for straight between his eyes.

"No!" the original Arthur, who had been watching the terrible scene before him unfold, screamed. He lurched forward, trying to save himself from Kiku even though he knew it was impossible. Before he was able to reach the two, Kiku pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Arthur screamed again as the vision ended. The land around him twisted and darkened, morphing into the calm bedroom of an Alhliða house. The heat from the fires dispersed, and Arthur was able to breathe again without choking on ash. It took him a moment to realize exactly where he was before he remembered the events of the past day; saving Alfred Jones, going to the Gathering ceremony, dancing, coming back to the house only when the moon was high in the night sky, falling asleep with London at his side.

He looked down at the enormous clock, trying to calm himself down. Then, he threw the covers off and began to pace on the cold wooden floor. The scene Arthur had just witnessed was a vision granted to him by the Queen of Spades Eternal Implement, London, meaning that what he had just seen had not occurred yet. In fact, it might not happen at all, but it was still a possibility. But how was it a possibility that Spades would be attacked by another Kingdom in a time of peace? Arthur growled with frustration and ran a hand through his hair. Kiku Honda…he was one of Alfred's friends. His best friend, if Arthur had judged correctly. In his vision, Kiku Honda had been the Queen of Hearts. So that meant that the Ludwig fellow and Alfred were both Hearts citizens as well, maybe even Kiku's King and Jack.

No, Arthur thought angrily. Not innocent Hearts citizens, but killers; evil murders that would eventually bring about the end of the Spades Kingdom and everything he held dear.

There was a quiet knocking on the door, and a small servant girl peered into Arthur's room.

"Your Majesty," she said quietly and curtsied before him. "I am sorry to intrude, but I heard noises. Is everything alright?"

"Wake Yao," Arthur said. "There is something of urgent matter that I must discuss with him." The girl nodded and left, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts.

Arthur walked over to the window and stared out at the calm village. He stared up at the moon and clenched his hands into fists. The end of the Spades Kingdom? No, that would not happen. Not while Arthur Kirkland was Queen.

-o0o-

"Yellow diamonds in the light,

Now we're standing side by side,

As your shadow crosses mine,

What it takes to come alive."

We Found Love, Rihanna

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***The Queen of Spades Eternal Implement. Both the London and Alfred's pocket watch gives visions of the past and future, however, ****London is bigger than Alfred's pocket watch because it gives visions of the future more often visions of the past. Alfred's pocket watch is the opposite; it gives visions of the past more than visions of the future, so on average it's very small. They balance out each other's abilities that way. Also, Alfred doesn't know the name for pocket watch yet, so that's what it's going to be called for now.**


	8. Chapter 7, Alhliða

**1/23/2012**

**Thank you to everyone who can stand my over detailed writing and my boring ideas! This is going to be a really long story, since I don't write big chapters, so please bear with me! Thank you again for all of the reviews! You guys are all awesome!**

**I changed the name of Arthur's Eternal Implement to London, after the capital of England. It's easier for me to name the EIs that way. Also, this chapter is in Alfred's point of view again. There are a lot of long paragraphs in this chapter, but trust me when I say you have to read all of them or else you're going to miss a lot of important stuff. **

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Alhliða, center of No-Man's-Land_

For one, wonderful moment, everything was calm and peaceful. The Gathering was over, and Alfred, Kiku, and Ludwig were walking back to the stone house they were staying at. They were going to go to bed and everything would've been fine, but then _it_ happened.

Alfred stopped laughing halfway at something Kiku had said when suddenly, his clothes felt ten times heavier then it normally did. Trying not to look conspicuous, he slowly reached into the pocket, and his tips of fingers brushed the magical watch. It wasn't his imagination; the watch _had_ gotten heavier, and bigger. That could only mean one thing, and it wasn't anything good.

No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening right now, Alfred thought with growing panic. Kiku and Ludwig can't see the pocket watch because they, or anyone else for that matter, would take it away from him like the Jokers had. And if they figured out that the watch had magical abilities…well, then it would be certain that Alfred would never see it again, much less keep it.

"Alfred, are you alright?" Kiku said, snapping Alfred out of his thoughts. "You look a little pale."

"Who, me?" Alfred said, praying that his voice wouldn't betray him. "Nah, I'm fine. Just a little light-headed is all. From the dancing, you know."

Kiku nodded sympathetically. "Yes, the first time attending a Gathering can be very exhausting. I remember my first Gathering…it was such a long time ago, but I remember every detail about that day because it was so much fun. I am glad you are having a good time- Alfred, are you sure you are alright?" Alfred had just stumbled sideways into Kiku by accident. Alfred struggled to stand up straight- the stupid watch was weighing his entire body down it was getting so heavy! - and tried to smile at Kiku without giving anything away.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Like I said before, just tired." he faked a yawn to sound more convincing.

"You should get to bed then as soon as we get back," Ludwig said from behind Kiku. "Tomorrow we leave for Hearts."

Alfred frowned, momentarily forgetting the situation he was in. "We're leaving tomorrow? Already?"

"Hai, but not until later in the day. There is no point in staying here since the Gathering is over."

"But I wanted to spend some more time with Arthur," Alfred protested. "There's still so much I don't know about him, or the other people who came here. I want to know more about the other Suits!"

"I know it is difficult to say goodbye to new friends," Ludwig said stiffly, his eyes hard. "But you don't have a choice in the matter. We must get back to Hearts by three days time so that there is time to plant crops for next year. Or else, everyone in Hearts will starve. We _must_ get back home, Alfred."

Alfred swallowed his anger, looking away from Ludwig and Kiku so they wouldn't see his scowl. Ludwig just didn't want him to learn about the other Suits; he wanted Alfred to blindly follow Hearts. But then again, no one in Hearts knew much about the other Suits, and as far as Alfred knew, none of the other Suits knew much about the others either. That would be encouraging people to want to change their Suit, which was a bad idea for any Kingdom. Loss of people meant loss of manpower that could make or break a Kingdom.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Alfred said when they finally reached their stone house.

"Goodnight, Alfred." Kiku said and Ludwig nodded. Together they walked towards the bedrooms on the bottom floor. They were whispering in hushed voices as they disappeared into the shadows and Alfred wondered what they were talking about. Sometimes he envied the relationship Kiku shared with Ludwig- not that he would ever admit it though. The United Bond* between a King and a Queen was one of the most powerful types of Magical Bonds in all the Suits. Once meeting each other, the pair would stay together their entire life unless they are forcibly separated by death or another factor.

A long time ago, Kiku had tried to explain it to him.

"It is like," Kiku started to say before stopping and starting over. "You, Alfred, are without a doubt my best friend. However, with Ludwig-san, I share this- this- this _connection_ that is so different from friendship yet so similar. He is loyal to me, and I to him; we would never betray each other. It is like I have this knowledge that there will always be someone who is watching out for me and will always be by my side no matter what decisions- good or bad- I make. I would never abandon him, and he will never abandon me. I know this without a doubt."

"What happens if one of you dies, or gets murdered or something?" Alfred asked curiously. Kiku's face instantly went white before a dark scowl formed.

"If anyone purposefully caused harm to Ludwig-san," Kiku said, his voice trembling with anger. "They would come to regret their decision as time passed. No person, thing, or force or this world would keep them safe from me; I would revenge my King at any cost. No amount of sorrow or despair on their part would ever be enough to match my own. I would hunt every single one of them down, and make sure that they understood exactly what they had taken from me." Kiku's hands clenched into tight fists, and his body shook slightly.

"D-do you feel as strongly about Feli as you do about Ludwig?" Alfred stuttered. He had never seen Kiku this angry before, not even when a servant girl had broken an ancient Queen of Hearts artifact that had been handed down through the generations.

Kiku took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly unclenched his hands. "No, the Bond only exists between a King and a Queen. Feliciano-kun is still a close friend, but the Jack is more an advisor to the King and Queen than anything else. He still has his responsibilities, and his Eternal Implement of course, but he does not share the United Bond. However, that does not make him any less important than he is; Feliciano-kun sees the world in a different light than most people, and I value his opinion greatly."

Alfred thought about this as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Having that kind of Magical Bond meant that you were never alone or left behind. There would always be someone to look after you or protect you, even if you royally screwed up. He opened the door to the bedroom he was sharing with Feliciano, not surprised when he found the room empty. He's still probably hanging with his brother, Alfred thought as he walked over to the nightstand and lit a candle. That was yet another relationship he would never enjoy.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Alfred flopped down on his bed and stared up at the wooden ceiling. Alfred didn't have any family. He had no siblings as far as he knew, and his parents had either died or hated him enough to abandon him on the street when he was only a week old. As a result, Alfred had always tried hard to make friends. Maybe a little too hard, but still. He had always thought that his friends would be the family he never had. But now, his closest friends were part of the Royal Deck and they didn't always have the time to hang out with Alfred like they used to. This was the first time in a while that Alfred had actually been able to spend a whole day with Kiku. They were still best friends, of course, but lately Alfred had been feeling more and more left out.

Alfred groaned in annoyance and covered his eyes with his hands. He hadn't even told Kiku about the whole Wild Card thing because he was afraid of how his friend would react. He had thought that maybe he could have learned more about it from the other Suits at the Gathering, but it was obvious that Ludwig didn't want him to make friends with people from other Kingdoms. Ludwig wanted to shape Alfred into the future Captain of the Hearts Army, or at least he had hinted it several times. But what if Alfred didn't want to be a soldier? Who would want a life full of death and misery? There was a reason he didn't sign up for military training all year, after all. The only thing he wanted to do was to take care of the horses in the stables, was that too much to ask?

Alfred felt his clothes being pulled sideways, and looked down to see his shirt being weighed down by the watch in his pocket. He quickly removed it from his pocket with some difficulty; it had doubled in size since he had last seen it. He turned it over in his hands, frowning at how heavy it was. Alfred's eyes widened when he noticed a bluish halo that had started to form around its edges.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is bad, Alfred thought with panic. This is really, really bad! If I get a vision now Kiku and Ludwig could come up and see what's happening at any moment! I have to-

The clock's light suddenly flashed blinding white, completely covering the entire room and forcing Alfred to shut his eyes against the glare. He cried out in surprise, falling backwards while clutching the watch to his chest.

When Alfred finally came to his senses, he thought at first he was in a cave, because it was so dark. But then his eyes adjusted, and he realized that he was still in his bedroom in Alhliða. Except now the light from the candle was gone, and he was standing in the middle of the room instead of sitting on his bed.

What the-? Alfred turned in a circle, trying to figure out what had just occurred. Had the watch malfunctioned or something? 'Cause this didn't look like a vision of any sort. He was still holding the watch though, and he brought it closer to his eyes to examine it. It looked fine...it didn't appear to be damaged or anything. He held it up to his ear and listened closely for a second before he heard the steady tick-tock from inside. That meant that it was working fine too. So, what exactly had just-?

SLAM!

Alfred nearly dropped the clock in surprise at the unexpected noise. Footsteps were heard from the floor below, and more doors slammed open. Alfred quickly walked over to the window and stared out at the street. Horses crowded the pavement, and he saw men with swords and torches entering the house from the front door. Alfred's brow furrowed with confusion; were they being attacked? But, that didn't make any sense. They hadn't done anything wrong-

Someone groaned to Alfred's left side, and he heard rustling of sheets. He saw the outline of another person moving, then a candle was lit and the whole room flooded with light. Alfred gaped when he saw that the stranger in his bed was actually himself. The second Alfred rubbed his eyes groggily and yawned, too tired to move.

So, this _is_ a vision, the original Alfred thought. The clock didn't screw up at all. I don't remember this ever happening to us before, so this has to be a vision of the future. But we're supposed to leave for Hearts tomorrow morning, so does that mean this is going to happen tonight? But why, and how?

There was a loud yell from directly underneath them, and the sound of clashing swords could be heard clearly even through the wooden floor. Then there was a shrill scream, the kind that hurt someone's ears if they listened long enough, and Alfred winced. The second Alfred jerked awake, his eyes finally coming into focus. Quickly, he leaned forward and blew out the candle he had just lit. Once again, the room went dark, but Alfred could hear himself picking through his bag that he had hidden underneath the bed. Probably looking for a weapon, he thought to himself and tightened his hold on the watch. Why are you showing me this? He grit his teeth, angry at his uselessness to help himself in his own vision.

"Upstairs!" commanded a voice from the bottom floor. "Capture the Jack before he escapes!" Loud footsteps echoed in the hallway, coming from the stairs. Alfred held his breath, keeping his eyes on the closed door that separated the bedroom from the soldiers.

The door was suddenly flung open, and two men armed with swords peered into the room. One of them had a torch, and he held it up higher in order to see the room better. That was a mistake. The future Alfred appeared out of the shadows, charging at the soldiers head on and with no warning. One fist to the face and a guard crumpled to the ground, dropping the torch. Before the second person could react, he was shoved roughly into the wall by the second Alfred. There was a flash of silver, and a dagger was placed against the soldier's neck.

"Who are you?" Alfred hissed into his ear. "Why are you attacking us? We haven't done anything!"

"I- I- I'm from Spades!" the man chocked out. His eyes widened in fear when Alfred added pressure to his weapon. "The Queen ordered us to capture the Triumvirate of Hearts** and take them as prisoners."

"Why?" Alfred growled.

"I don't know! I swear, I have no idea-"

"That's not a good enough answer!" Alfred snapped. "How do you know who the Triumvirate are-?"

"Hey!" another man stood in the doorway. Alfred cursed and squeezed the trapped soldier's neck; he instantly passed out. The future Alfred then spun around and ran straight at the man blocking his way to the hall. This man, however, was prepared and they exchanged a few blows before Alfred was able to defeat him. By that time, more Spades had crowded into the room, and no matter how hard he fought, he was soon overcome. The real Alfred watched with a mix of shock and anger as the future him was brought to his knees.

Another man, the leader of the soldiers Alfred assumed, appeared in the doorway. He strode over to the captive teenager as Alfred struggled pointlessly against the men holding him. The Captain grabbed his chin and forcibly turned his head left and right. Alfred tried to jerk his head away, but received a heavy blow on the head for his disobedience. He fell onto the cold floor, coughing and clutching the back of his head in pain.

"Is it him, sir?" the soldier asked in English. The real Alfred automatically cringed; although he was fluent in most of the languages in the Suits, he was still unused to hearing anything but the natural tongues of the Heart Kingdom. And English hardly sounded anything like Japanese or German.

The Captain grunted in satisfaction. "He matches the description: blond hair, blue eyes, tall. He must be the one. You!" he yelled at Alfred, switching to Hoppípollan. "Are you Alfred Jones, the Jack of Hearts?"

Both of the Alfreds- future and present- started at the accusation. The original Alfred stared with disbelief at the captain. Jack of Hearts? Feli was the Jack, not him. Whoever had given the soldiers their mission had obviously been misinformed.

"I- yes," the second Alfred said, much to the surprise of his present self. "I am the Jack. What do you want with me?"

The Captain opened his mouth to answer, but his response was drowned out before Alfred could hear what he had to say.

"Alfred!" a voice yelled into his ear, drowning out the Captain's words. "Alfred, wake up, please!" Immediately, he was aware of someone shaking his shoulders, but when he turned there was no one standing behind him, and he knew for a fact that nothing in his vision could touch him.

"Alfred! Wake up!" the voice cried again, and the entire scene before him started blur and fade out. With a gasp, Alfred's eyes opened to find himself staring into Kiku's pale face.

"K-Kiku?" he stuttered. "Wha- what are you doing?"

"Alfred," Kiku sighed with relief and released his shoulders. "Are you awake?"

"I think so…" he slowly sat up, and rubbed the back of his head. "Why are you in my room?"

"We heard screaming." Ludwig said. He was standing next to the bed and was holding a candle. He frowned down at Alfred. "We were not sure what it was at first, but then when came into your bedroom you were yelling in your sleep."

"I was?" Then the events of what had just occurred washed over him, and Alfred went white.

"Alfred? Are you alright?" Kiku asked.

"Kiku, you have to leave." Alfred grabbed his friend's arm. "You and Ludwig have to get out of Alhliða _right now_."

Ludwig smiled in amusement. "I thought you didn't want to leave the village yet?"

"I'm serious! Both of you have to find Feli and-"

"There will be plenty of time to pack our things tomorrow morning," Kiku said. "As for Feliciano-kun, I actually find it strange that he is not here with you. He should have been back by now."

"No, you don't understand!" Alfred said with growing frustration. The vision had shown the Spades soldiers attacking this very night. They could be here at any moment and if Ludwig and Kiku were still here, they would all be captured! And who knew what would happen after that!

"Both of you are in danger!" he insisted. "You have to find Feli and get out of here before it's too late!"

Kiku frowned and shared a long look with Ludwig before turning back to Alfred. He gently placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You are tired, and need rest. You are just overreacting from the dream you had-"

"I'm not overreacting!" Alfred snapped. "If you don't go now, we're all going to be taken captive by the Spades Army!"

His response was met by silence. Kiku's grip tightened, but is face was impassive as he stared at Alfred with unblinking eyes. Ludwig placed the candle on the night stand and walked over to the bed.

"Explain how you know this." Ludwig said.

"I saw it happen."

"In your dream?"

"Yes, in my…in my dream." Alfred said, improvising slightly. He tried to explain what he had seen to them as best he could without mentioning the watch. He hated lying to them, but it wasn't like he was about to tell them that he had been hoarding a magic Spades clock for months. That would only bring up more questions, and it would defeat the purpose of getting them out of the house quickly. So instead Alfred let his emotions to be heard in the words he used, hoping that they would pick up on the truth of how desperately they needed to leave.

"You want us to go because of a simple dream?" Ludwig asked after Alfred had finished. "Are you afraid that it might come true?"

"Yes!" Alfred said. "I don't care if you guys think it's dumb or stupid, but please listen to me this one time! I don't want to risk the chance of either of you getting hurt; you both mean too much to me."

Kiku turned pink, and Ludwig's expression softened.

"Well, let's say we go along with what you say, what would you have us do?" Ludwig said.

"Just, like, I don't know, get out of the house for a while until its morning. And if I'm wrong about all of this-" which, I'm not, he added in his head. "- you can put me on kitchen duty, or make fun of me, or whatever you want, just please go before we waste any more time!"

"I personally believe that you are letting your emotions get the better of your judgment," Kiku said, and Alfred felt his stomach drop. "However, if it will put your mind at rest, I am willing to do as you say. If I had experienced a dream such as yours I- I would probably insist on making you leave the house as well. I don't want to see you hurt either, Alfred."

"Thank you!" Alfred said with a relieved smile. Everything was going to be alright. Kiku and Ludwig would be safe. "Just, hurry up and go out the back door. Get your Implements and-"

"Why the back door?" Ludwig said as they all stood up and started to head towards the stairs.

"That's where they enter the house," Alfred said, skipping the last step and jumping to the floor with a loud thud. "I'll go lock the door-"

"It is already locked," Ludwig said.

"Alright, then I'll barricade it so they waste time trying to open it. You guys go ahead-"

They all froze at the sound of approaching horses in the street. Ludwig quickly blew out the candle, and Alfred automatically reached out to grab Kiku's hand. Kiku squeezed his hand back reassuringly while they all waited in silence for the horses to pass.

They didn't.

The horses stopped in front of their cottage, and Alfred noticed Ludwig's face went pale when they saw outlines of men with swords through the windows.

"Quick!" Alfred said in a hushed whisper. "Go! You guys need to leave; I'll stay here and try to keep them occupied for as long as I can."

"No!" Kiku hissed, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. "You are coming with us; there is no need for you to fend them off on your own-"

"Yes, there is! They have to think you guys are still in the house so that it will give you more time to escape! Don't worry about me, just find Feli and get yourselves out of here! I can handle myself, Kiku. I'll be fine. You two are worth more to the Kingdom than I. It's worth the risk."

"Kiku, he is right." Ludwig said, placing a hand on the smaller male's shoulder. "We must go-" there was the sound of quiet talking from outside. "Kiku!" Ludwig said desperately.

Kiku rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Alfred in a tight hug. "We will come back for you." He whispered into his ear.

Alfred smiled. "I know you will. But don't worry; I can probably escape at the last minute since they don't know about the back door. I'll catch up with you in no time, trust me."

Kiku frowned and gently touched Alfred's cheek with the tips of his cold fingers, surprising both Alfred and Ludwig. He stared into Alfred's blue eyes for a moment, as if searching for something. Then Kiku turned away before Alfred had the chance to say anything, and disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. Ludwig briefly clapped a hand on Alfred's shoulder before following his Queen. Alfred didn't wait for them to go before he started to barricade the door. As quickly as was possible, he shoved as many pieces of furniture as he could in front of the door. Then he hid himself in the shadows, blending into the night like he had been taught in military training. He clenched his hands around his dagger and waited.

The first time the door was forced open, it collided with Alfred's makeshift barrier, and there were confused exclamations from outside. Alfred grinned to himself when they tried a second time and was again thwarted. Then there was a loud grunt, and the door finally flung open, scattering the furniture. About five men stumbled across the threshold, almost falling before catching themselves. Alfred took the opportunity to attack.

As fast and quiet as an owl, he ran out from his hiding spot and took them all by surprise. His dagger flashed and instantly two fell to the floor, bleeding from a gash across their chests. The other guards were too slow to react, and another two had their feet knocked out from underneath them. Their unprotected heads hit the floor with a heavy thud, and they moved no more. The last soldier attempted to block Alfred's advance with his sword, but Alfred easily ducked out of the way and jabbed the man in several pressure points. With a silent cry, the soldier went down on his knees.

Alfred disappeared back into the shadows while confusion from the attacks left the men outside cautious to continue. If I can limit the amount of men coming through the front door, Kiku and Ludwig will have more time to escape, Alfred thought. He kept a trained eye on the door waiting for more men to enter. Another group appeared in the doorway, this time weary. Alfred took a deep breath and clutched his weapon tighter in his hand. Here we go again, he thought grimly before attacking once more. He slashed his dagger sideways so that it was nothing but a silver line in the night air. He was able to take out another three soldiers before falling back. However, he was more tired and his moves were getting sluggish. He ducked behind a wall and waited for the next Spades, breathing heavily. This time a group of ten or so soldiers poured through the entrance into the house, too many for Alfred to take on alone. They formed a protective arc around the door, creating an opening for more men to enter without the danger of getting harmed. Alfred scowled in annoyance; they were finally getting smart about their tactics, which was good for them, but very, very bad for him.

Another man walked into the house and stood confidently on the threshold now that there were soldiers to protect him. "Search the house!" he commanded in English. Alfred's eyes widened; his voice sounded familiar. This was the Captain from his vision! "Find them as you fast as you can! Look in every nook and cranny; we will not leave this house until the Triumvirate are in our hands!"

The men quickly spread out, breaking into pairs of two or groups of three as they cautiously explored the rest of the house. Alfred inwardly cursed and retreated as fast as he could without making any noise. As he moved, he shut every single door he came across, making sure to do it so that it wouldn't alert the soldiers to his presence. Now they would have to open every door he had shut in order to make sure there was no one inside. That would waste more of their time, and then Alfred could escape while they were preoccupied.

He heard footsteps coming up from behind him, and Alfred immediately fled down the hallway. If he could just get to the back door, he could disappear into the night no problem. The Spades soldiers would never be able to find him, and he could reunite with Kiku and Ludwig before the sun came up.

"Stop!" a soldier cried out. Alfred felt a thrill of fear run through him, and he sped up into a full sprint. No way was he going to get caught when he was so close to being free-

"Halt! Or else, this boy gets hurt!" There was a terrified whimper, one that sounded all too familiar, and Alfred automatically stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned to see Arthur Kirkland standing at the opposite end of the hall with a long sword pressed against the neck of Feliciano Vargas. Arthur's eyes blazed bright green in the torchlight, staring intently at Alfred while Feliciano sniffed tearfully.

"Arthur?" Alfred said, confused. He took a step towards Feliciano, reaching out for his friend. "What are you doing-?"

"Don't you dare take another step," Arthur warned. "I won't hesitate to kill him." Feliciano made a frightened squeaking noise, and Alfred paled.

"Arthur," Alfred said again, this time with a hint of desperation. "Please, let him go. He hasn't done anything to hurt you-"

"Not yet he hasn't." Arthur said with malice. "But he is a Heart, so one day he will. And I'm not prepared to take that chance. One less Heart is less of a threat to Spades." He pressed the blade harder against Feliciano's skin, and drops of blood formed. Feliciano began to hyperventilate, gasping loudly.

"No!" Alfred cried, moving forward again.

"Stay back!" Arthur snapped.

"Please," Alfred said hoarsely. "Please, let him go. I swear I'll do anything you want. Just, please, let my friend go."

Arthur relaxed his hold on the sword. "Anything, you say?"

"Anything," Alfred repeated. "I swear on my life."

"Hmm, that is an interesting offer." Arthur said thoughtfully. Alfred waited, holding his breath. "What if, I let the Italian walk free, and in return, you become a willing prisoner of the Spades Army. You will ultimately take his place as our hostage."

"Deal." Alfred didn't even take the time to consider his options. He knew from his vision that the soldiers thought that it was himself who was the Jack, and they would never let Feliciano go if they knew the truth.

Arthur raised a thick eyebrow. "I don't think you understand what you are agreeing to. If you go along with this, you can never attempt to escape. You will never return to your home Kingdom unless we allow you to. You will be in chains for the rest of your life."

"I know what you meant." Alfred said heatedly. "My answer still stands. I'll do it, just let him go."

"Alfred," Feliciano whispered. His eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

"Very well," Arthur said. He removed his sword from Feliciano's neck and pushed the Italian away from him onto the ground.

"Feli!" Alfred rushed to his friend's side.

"Guards!" Arthur yelled. "Arrest the blonde, let the other walk free."

"Yes, sir." Two men came forward and pulled Alfred away from Feliciano.

"Alfred!" Feliciano cried. He started to follow after him, but Alfred shook his head.

"Go!" Alfred told him. "I'll be fine. Just find Kiku and Ludwig. Tell them…tell them that it was worth it."

"Yes, do leave before I change my mind." Arthur threatened.

His words convinced Feliciano to finally run away, and he scrambled out the back door as fast as he legs could carry him. When he had gone, Arthur turned back to Alfred. He observed at his new prisoner with an unreadable expression. Alfred stared numbly back; unable to understand how this was the same person whom he had just made friends with only a few hours earlier. Arthur was acting completely different from the guy that had saved Alfred's life.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself," Arthur said finally. "You know my name is Arthur Kirkland. However, most people know me as England, Queen of the Spades Kingdom. It is a pleasure to finally meet someone from the Hearts Royal Deck such as yourself, Alfred Jones, Jack of Hearts. You will make an excellent weapon to use against your Kingdom, should the need arise. This is war, after all."

-o0o-

_Just outside of Alhliða, center of No-Man's-Land_

"…and there was nothing I could do but stand there and watch while they took him away." Feliciano recited tearfully to Ludwig an hour later. "I- I just ran away like a coward and let him take my place-"

"Shhh, Feliciano, it's alright." Ludwig wrapped his friend into a tight hug while the Italian sobbed into his shirt. "There was nothing you could do," Ludwig reassured him. "Alfred would have sacrificed himself anyway-"

"And the worst part was that they thought that Alfred was the Jack of Hearts! That was why they wanted him to trade places with me so badly; they think that they can use him as a threat against Hearts. And I- I let them think that so that _I_ wouldn't be the one held captive." He broke down once more, and Ludwig rubbed his back in comforting circles.

"You need rest." Ludwig said. "Alfred did what any Hearts soldier would be expected to do. We all just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Feliciano sniffed. "I guess you're right…"

"Do not worry, we will get Alfred back. He won't be in Spades hands for long. Why don't you go stand by the horses and try to calm down while I talk to Kiku for a minute? I will be back quickly."

Feliciano nodded, but he still looked upset. Ludwig squeezed his shoulders once before walking over to his Queen. Kiku stood with his back to Ludwig, his hands clasped behind his back. He stared out at the sleeping village with a stony expression. Only Ludwig could tell how absolutely furious Kiku was at the moment.

"Kiku, what are we going to do about this?" Ludwig asked quietly. "We cannot allow them to attack us for no reason without taking some course of action."

"Of course not," Kiku said stiffly. "We will confront the Spades Kingdom about their unjust attack, and then demand them to return Alfred to us."

"And what if they do not cooperate?"

Kiku turned to face Ludwig, and his face was illuminated by the moon's light. Never before had Ludwig seen Kiku so pale, or his pupils so large. His face was worn out, and there were dark circles underneath his eyes.

"And if not," Kiku said, striding past Ludwig. "We go to war."

-o0o-

"In order to win you must be prepared to lose sometime. And leave one or two cards showing."  
>Van Morrison<p>

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***The **_**United Bond**_** between a King and a Queen forces the two to work together for the good of their Kingdom and remain loyal to one another even if they don't like each other. They feel obligated to support, encourage or even die for the other person. Even if they are removed from their titles or banished, the Bond will last until one or the other dies. There are other kinds of Magical Bonds, but the United Bond is the most powerful and has the strongest effect on those who have it.**

******_**Triumvirate**_** is the term used when referring to a King, Queen and Jack of any Suit.**

_**Weapons**_** in the Suits are varied. The armies use swords, bows, knifes, daggers, spears, guns, explosives and just about any other type of weapon you can think of. However, weapons like guns and explosives are only owned by people high of rank in either the army or the Royal Deck. This is because they are expensive to make and can have different magical properties in addition to being able to cause a large amount of destruction.**


	9. Chapter 8, Somewhere in Spades

**2/6/2012**

**Wow, the feedback I got from the last chapter was amazing! Even though I hate typing and that last chapter took forever, it was totally one hundred percent worth it. Thank you all so much! I hope I don't disappoint any of you!**

**This chapter should have been out earlier…but my friend showed me this wonderful BBC series called Sherlock, and it kind of threw me off track for a few days. Anyways, sorry about the delay. This chapter is much lighter than the past two and it takes place about a day later. It's not nearly as serious as the last two chapters, but it would be depressing if it was. So this is something a little less solemn, but still important to the story.**

**Just for heads up, the chapter after this one might not be out for a while. It's going to be really long, so it'll probably take a while for me to write it up. I just want to say sorry in advance. Thank you again for all of your support! It means a lot to me.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Somewhere in Spades_

"I don't care if you don't want it, just eat the food!"

"I'm not hungry."

Arthur scowled. "Did you not hear what I just said? _I don't bloody care_. Starving yourself isn't going to change your situation. You are still going to be tied around this tree until we start to travel again, regardless of whether you have lunch or not. Just, eat the food and be happy that you get anything at all."

"I don't want it. Go away." Alfred pointedly looked off into the distance, glaring at the horizon. If Arthur thought Alfred was going to be nice to him just because they were traveling together, he had another thing coming. He still hadn't forgiven Arthur for everything that had happened the other day, and he wasn't sure if he ever would.

"Stop being stubborn. This is good and healthy-"

"Are you kidding me?" Alfred cried, struggling to loosen the rope that was holding him tight. "I had some of your 'food' this morning if you can even call it food, and it was the most disgusting thing I've ever had in my life! I think I almost died from food poisoning because of that stuff! If that's what you think good food is, there is no way in hell I'm going to eat whatever that black lump is on your plate."

"It's called a scone!" Arthur snapped, visibly getting more and more frustrated. "And it is not black, it's just a little burnt. There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Then you eat it if it's so great! I _said_ I'm not hungry."

They glared at each other.

"Fine, then. Starve for all I care. It's not like I'm _trying_ to keep you alive or anything!" Arthur made a show of standing up and turning to walk away.

"Good, because I don't think I could eat your food and survive anyways." Alfred yelled after him. "You probably poisoned it or something for all I know!" Arthur stopped in his tracks.

"I wouldn't poison you," he said after a short pause. "I'm not…like that."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't know." Alfred said bitterly, remembering the events of his first, and probably last, Gathering. "You almost killed my friend; I can't trust you."

Arthur flushed. "He was a Heart! It was necessary."

"So am I! Why don't you just kill me too?"

Arthur stared at Alfred with blank shock. Obviously, the option had never occurred to him before.

"Be- because," Arthur stuttered. "You- you're the Jack! We can't kill you yet, there's still use for you." Alfred looked at him skeptically, not impressed with the answer.

"What is going on over here?" Yao asked, walking over to the pair. He looked Alfred over with the same indifferent expression he always wore. Alfred wasn't sure if Yao approved of taking him prisoner or not; the Jack never outright said that he didn't like Alfred to his face, but he was never exactly pleasant either.

"He won't eat." Arthur told Yao. "I even offered him some of my food but he refused."

"Well that explains it, Arthur." Yao said dryly. "Anything made by you is highly toxic; the boy wouldn't be able to keep any of it down even if he had some." Alfred let out a short bark of laughter before stopping himself.

"That's not true!" Arthur protested as Yao leaned down so that he was eye level with Alfred. "I think I make delicious meals, personally! Your taste buds just aren't working right!"

"Oh, yeah? You eat that rock then." Alfred nodded at the scone. Arthur glared at him before picking the scone up and taking a large bite of it. Arthur chewed it without difficulty and swallowed while Alfred gaped.

"There, see? Nothing wrong with it."

"H- How did you chew that?" Alfred asked with wonder. "Is it even, like, digestible? Or does it get stuck in your stomach and never break down?" Arthur turned red with anger.

"I'm leaving!" Arthur folded his arms and stalked away, muttering under his breath. Alfred shook his head at Arthur's retreating figure.

"Is he usually like that?" Alfred asked.

"Like what?" Yao pulled out a box from behind his back.

"Like, can he actually eat that without having any problems?" Alfred eyed the box curiously.

Yao paused. "He will be fine," he said. "Arthur is the only person I know of who can eat his own food without chocking or having severe stomach problems later on." He opened the box, revealing an array of foods that Alfred had rarely seen except for in pictures. It must be Spades food.

"Now," Yao said. "This is food that _I_ made. I assure you that it is edible. Eat."

Alfred glowered. "First of all, I'm tied up. I can't eat if my hands are bound. Secondly, that won't be a problem since I still don't want any of it."

Yao narrowed his eyes. "Eat it."

"No."

"Eat. It."

"No! I don't want to."

"If you don't eat now, you won't have anything until dinner. That is, if we even give you that luxury."

"Fine, do what you have to. Still doesn't change my mind." Alfred said stubbornly.

Yao sighed and stood up, leaving the food in front of Alfred. "Hearts always were trained to survive on bare essentials; however, you will cave in eventually. I will come to collect the box before we leave, if you haven't had any of it by then, I will take it away. Understood?"

"Got it, Your Highness." Alfred said sarcastically. Yao shook his head.

"It's like talking to a child," he murmured under his breath before walking away.

"I heard that!" Alfred called after him. Yao did not turn. Alfred sighed with frustration and let his head bang against the tree trunk. He tried to move his arms before he remembered the rope. Why the heck did they have to tie him up? He swore to Arthur he wouldn't run away.

"_Mein Gott_," he sighed, missing his natural languages. For the past day and a half, he had been forced to speak Hoppípollan since all of the people he was traveling with either refused or didn't know how to speak German, Italian or Japanese. Of course, Alfred himself knew English and Chinese, but the Spades didn't really need to know that. It gave him a chance to listen in on all of the soldiers' conversations without them being on their guard. So far, Alfred had been called annoying, suspicious, evil, weirdo, creeper-

"Having a rough day?" someone asked in German.

"You have no idea," Alfred responded in the same language before he realized what had just happened. He started and then looked around wildly for the person who had spoken. There was the sound of obnoxious laughter.

"Above you, kid."

Alfred looked up to find a crazy teenager with white grey hair and ruby red eyes grinning down at him.

"Long time no see." Prussia said from his position on a tree branch.

"You!" Alfred cried.

"Me." Prussia agreed. His tail flicked in and out of the branches.

"Don't you live in No-Man's-Land?" Alfred hissed. "What are you doing here?" He wasn't sure whether to be angry or happy to see the Joker; the last time they had met, Prussia had told him that he was a Wild Card and pretty much changed Alfred's entire life. And not really in a good way either, considering that he was now prisoner of the Spades army and as far away from home as he would ever be.

Prussia dropped down from the tree branch and landed lightly on his feet before Alfred.

"Doing you a favor." he snapped his fingers and the ropes that were binding Alfred fell away. Alfred shook out his arms and stretched out, his face breaking out into a relieved smile.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, rubbing his wrists which were red from friction against the ropes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm awesome. Just eat something before you pass out."

Alfred looked at the box wearily. "Are you sure it's not-"

"Jeesh, kid, it's not poisoned! Spades wouldn't kill off their prime weapon to use against Hearts, now would they? It's perfectly fine to eat."

Alfred lunged at the box and began stuffing his mouth full as much as he could. Prussia slowly sat down next to him, smiling.

"You were hungry." Prussia noted. Alfred nodded, his mouth to full with food to answer. He was always hungry, but as Yao said, in the Hearts military training he had been taught to survive for at least a day or two without food or water. Up until now, he had no guarantee that the food was safe to eat.

"They're going to see you if you stay here," Alfred said when he had finally swallowed. He nodded his heads towards the camp the soldiers had made a little bit off. None of them had bothered to check on him yet, but they probably would in half an hour or so since they didn't trust him to not run away.

Prussia grinned and help up his hand. Alfred's eyes bulged when he saw that the Joker's hand was see-through, like he was made of water or glass.

"I have Mirage Magic," Prussia explained, and his hand went back to its normal solid form. "Right now, you're the only person who can see me. Even if the soldiers do come over here, they'll just think you're talking to yourself."

Alfred glowered. "Thanks, that really helps, you know. They already think I'm weird, this will just confirm their suspicions that I'm out of my mind." Prussia laughed.

"What does it matter to you what they think?" Prussia asked, leaning back. "They're never going to like you, no matter what you do. You're the enemy after all."

"Well," Alfred said slowly. "I would prefer it if none of them would kill me in my sleep or anything like that if they ever get too drunk to know what they're doing. So I'd rather be nice than to have them all hate me."

"Hmm, you got a point there." Prussia leaned over and stole a berry from Alfred's dish. "And what do you think about Arthur?"

Alfred stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know. Him being Queen of Spades? That doesn't bother you at all?"

"Oh, that." Alfred busily shoved more food into his mouth.

"Well?" Prussia asked, watching him with amusement.

Alfred swallowed. "He's an ass."

Prussia snorted once before he went into full blown out laughter. He clutched his sides and fell sideways onto the grass he was laughing so hard. Alfred ignored him, eating more food. He watched the teenager moodily as he chewed. Really, what did Prussia want him to say? For about a day after the whole Gathering fiasco, Alfred had been completely silent, still in shock from the events. It was only yesterday evening that he had started to talk again, but that wasn't exactly a good thing for the Spades seeing that Alfred gave them a hard time about everything. Just because he had promised not to run away didn't mean that he wasn't going to fight them tooth and nail the entire time he was in their care. Eventually, they might think he's not worth the trouble and let him go, if Alfred was lucky.

It had been a shock to find out who Arthur really was, but that only explained his ruthless nature for getting what he wanted. At first, Alfred had been furious at Arthur for threatening Feliciano's life-he still was, in fact- but from growing up with the Triumvirate of Hearts, Alfred knew that they were trained to go through any measures at any cost to protect their Kingdom. Arthur being the Queen of Spades was no different. But, it was hard for him to be mad at Arthur when the Queen was doing just about everything he possibly could to make sure that Alfred was being taken care of. He couldn't tell if Arthur really was worried about him, or if he was just trying to get on Alfred's good side so he could spill some Heart secrets. Alfred would just have to be on his guard from now on; he would never trust Arthur ever again. Obviously it had been a mistake.

After some time, Prussia was able to calm himself, and he sat back up.

"You have no idea how true that statement is." Prussia said, brushing blades of grass out of his grey hair.

"Why? Have you met him? Or has he lied to you about his true identity, tried to kill your friends while also refusing to tell you why, and offered you terrible food after forcing you to become his slave for the rest of your life too?"

Prussia grinned. "I've met him once or twice maybe, but it's not my job to cover this Kingdom. Sealand gives the messages here. I cover Hearts and Diamonds, Sealand does Spades and Clubs. Sometimes we switch but it's not that often."

Alfred stopped eating for a moment to stare at Prussia. "You're Kiku and Ludwig's Joker correspondent?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Have you seen either of them since the day before yesterday?" Alfred asked immediately, trying to keep the desperate tone out of his voice. "Is that why you're here? Did they give you a message or something to tell me?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I haven't spoken to either of them yet." Alfred's heart clenched, and there was a strange lump in his throat. He blinked and looked away from the Joker, biting his lip. Prussia looked almost guiltily.

"Hey, I really am sorry." Prussia said again, touching Alfred's shoulder. "You're a good person; you don't deserve to be separated from your family. But most people don't, and that's just how the world works. I'll tell them that you're alright though, and that you miss them. I'm sure they miss you, too."

"If you're not here to give me a message, then what are you doing here?" Alfred finally said after a minute of silence. "It had to be for something other than to just help me get my lunch." He gestured at his nearly finished meal.

"What, I can't visit my favorite little Wild Card?" Prussia playfully punched Alfred's shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I thought I was the _only _Wild Card." Alfred grumbled, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, yeah, well, you are the only one. But still, you make this game interesting. It would be boring without you."

Alfred frowned. "This isn't a game, Prussia. This is real life."

"It's the same thing, in essence. Life is nothing but a series of scheduled events, one thing after another. And everything from what you wear when you get up to the exact date of when you die is all in this one big Plan of the universe*. Nothing can change the Plan, nothing except the Wild Card."

"I don't understand."

Prussia rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't, you're not a Joker. And only Jokers can read the Plan. Let's just say simply that you're going to change this world, Jones. You're going to take the Plan, and turn it inside out and backwards. You're going to take the norm, and completely destroy it. A Wild Card takes everything everyone _thinks_ they know, and proves it all wrong. What's true will be false, and what is false will be true."

"You're speaking in riddles!" Alfred groaned. "I don't get anything you're saying!"

Prussia shrugged. "You don't have to get it. Just know that you're going to change the world, that's all."

"Gee, thanks so much for telling me that." Alfred rolled his eyes. "No pressure or anything."

"Nope! It's all in the Plan, buddy. It's all in the Plan."

"Your plan, maybe." Alfred muttered and Prussia smiled agian.

"Oh, I do so enjoy spending time with you, Jones. You brighten up my entire day." He patted Alfred once on the back before standing up and stretching.

"Are you leaving? Already?" Alfred asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I shouldn't be here anyway; Sealand's mad at me."

"Why? Did you do something?"

"Not yet, but I'm about to. I've decided that I'm going to give you a present, Jones."

Alfred perked up. "A present? I love presents! What is it?" He looked expectantly at the Joker with wide eyes.

Prussia laughed. "Oh, I don't have it on me, but you'll know it when you see it. Just promise me to look inside of what it's carrying before the Spades get there; you don't want them to search the thing before you can, or else they would find a very interesting surprise."

Alfred gaped at the Joker. "I used to think you were the type of guy who just said whatever was on their mind at the moment," he said. "But now I know that your mind must be insane because I never understand what you're saying." Prussia leaned down and ruffled Alfred's golden blonde hair, like they were two old friends.

"That's a good thing, kid. You don't want to understand what's going on in my mind, trust me."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud whinny coming from the horses. He turned to see one of the stallions buck as something large and grey charged past. There were surprised cries from the camp and all of the soldiers abandoned their seats to calm down their horses. Others chased after the silver blur, which was surprisingly fast but could easily be slowed down when it tripped over the makeshift tents and campfires. Even from this distance, Alfred could hear Arthur yelling orders at his men- even though no one was listening- and he could see Yao chasing after the moving silver shape with rope in his hands.

Prussia snickered next to Alfred. "They look like chickens with their heads chopped off." He smirked appreciatively. "I am so awesome."

"Is this the gift?" Alfred questioned. "A distraction?" he shook his head. "That doesn't help me at all. I promised Arthur that I wouldn't leave, and even though I hate the guy right now, I hold true to my word."

Prussia grinned. "Just take a closer look at it, kid, and then tell me you aren't grateful for my awesome gift."

Alfred rolled his eyes, but turned back to the disordered scene before him. He squinted at the strange blur of grey that was the source of all of the madness, trying to figure what it was. Then his eyes flew open wide, and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"That…that's…" he gasped. "That's Artemis! How did you-?" Alfred looked back at Prussia, surprise and glee in his expression. Prussia smiled, revealing a row of sharp white teeth.

"Don't worry about how I found her," Prussia said, waving a hand. "Just go and calm her down; I'm pretty sure Queenie over there won't be so kind if she ends up destroying the entire camp. And I think I'm right in saying that Artemis only answers to you."

Alfred grinned. "Thank you," he said seriously. "Thanks so much for everything."

"_Ja_, _ja_, I get it just go. And make sure to look in that satchel around her neck; remember what I told you earlier."

Alfred nodded before turning away and sprinting toward his horse. As fast as he could, he ran over to the camp and pushed soldiers out of his way, not bothering to look back at their annoyed shouts. He saw Artemis bucking in front of a group of men with ropes in their hands; Arthur and Yao were in the mix as well, trying to corner the wild animal. Without hesitation, Alfred shoved his way to the front of the crowd and threw himself in the horse's path. He stood in front of her with is arms spread wide and his feet firmly planted on the ground. Artemis whinnied loudly and started to stand on her back legs again.

"Alfred-!" Arthur cried- clearly in panic for whatever reason- and lurched forward before Yao pulled him backwards, away from danger like any good Jack would do. Alfred stood his ground, refusing to move.

"Artemis," he said clearly in German. "Artemis, it's me. It's Alfred."

Immediately, the silver horse landed back on the ground, her hooves making a loud thud as they hit the earth. Alfred smiled slightly to himself and moved toward her with his hand outstretched. However, Artemis was still scared and she shuffled away from him as quickly as he advanced. There was a crazy, frightened look in her dark eyes as she shook her head left and right. Alfred made a calm shh-ing noise, trying to calm her down.

"Artemis," he said again. "C'mon, you remember me, right? Alfred Jones? I raised you, remember? Old man Harry gave you to me for my birthday? Don't tell me you don't remember, we've been together for as long as I can remember."

He smiled brightly as best he could, and the horse slowly stopped moving. She kept her eyes trained on him as he neared. Alfred slowly raised his hand again and gently placed it on her neck. Artemis automatically relaxed, her tense muscles loosening up. She gazed at him, and Alfred saw recognition in her eyes. Only then did he allow himself to grin fully. He threw his arms around her neck in a tight hug. Artemis whinnied softly and nuzzled her head into his back. He laughed, relived and delighted that he still had something of his old life.

"Well, this is interesting." Yao said. Alfred turned around to see all of the Spades staring at him with wide eyes. Even Arthur had nothing to say for once, gaping at the teenager and horse standing together.

"You know this creature?" Yao asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Alfred said sheepishly, switching to Hoppípollan. "This is my horse from Hearts. Her name is Artemis; she's mine."

"If she belongs to Hearts, why is she here?" Yao coldly observed the two of them and Alfred protectively tightened his grip on Artemis' main. He didn't like the look in Yao's eyes, as if they were bugs that needed to be squished.

"I don't know," Alfred lied calmly. He didn't look back at the tree to see if Prussia was still there or not. "Maybe she missed me. She's loyal to me, though. She could have followed us from Alhliða."

"Impossible," Arthur dismissed, finally coming to his senses. "We've been checking, no one has followed us. That horse either traveled here magically, or someone in our division led her to us." He glared around at his men, but no one stepped forward to take the blame. Alfred smiled to himself; Arthur would never know about Prussia. In fact, the thought would probably never cross his mind.

Alfred risked the opportunity to glance back at the tree where he had eaten with Prussia. He could see the outline of the Joker, who was still standing there. As he stared out, Prussia's voice echoed in his head: 'Look inside of what it's carrying before the Spades get there;' he had said. 'You don't want them to search the thing before you can, or else they would find a very interesting surprise'. It sounded like a warning, if anything.

Panicked, Alfred automatically turned his back to the Spades and searched Artemis for a bag or a satchel. He needed to get to whatever Prussia wanted him to find before Arthur- or worse, Yao- realized what he was doing. He found a leather sack tied to Artemis' saddle and quickly opened it. He reached inside it. At first he felt nothing but the soft material of the sack, but then he reached the bottom. Something cool and smooth brushed up against his hand, and he grabbed the object and pulled it out into the afternoon light.

It was the Spades pocket watch.

Alfred's mouth fell open and his eyes bugged out; he had left the watch in the bedroom back in Alhliða. How did Prussia find it? Alfred had accidently left it on his bed after the vision because at the time he had been too worried about getting Kiku and Ludwig safe to bring it with him. He had just assumed that the Spades soldiers had missed it when they had searched the house, but ever since then he had been depressed that he would never get to see it again. The Spades clock was important to him, like an old toy of a child or a writer's favorite quill. He had become accustomed to it since it was always nearby, especially during the Gathering, and the fact that it was back in his possession was the best thing that had happened to him since becoming a Spades prisoner.

"What are you doing over there?" Arthur's voice broke through Alfred's thoughts. Alfred squeezed the watch, his knuckles turning white. Like hell he was going to let Arthur see this. Why Prussia had decided to give it back to him instead of taking it for himself, Alfred had no clue. But there was no way he was going to let Arthur take it away, regardless if it was of Spades origin. Alfred shoved the gold watch into his pocket, praying that it would be safe from the soldiers there. Putting on his best what-are-you-talking-about smile, Alfred faced the Spades again.

"I'm not doing anything," he said, keeping a straight face.

Arthur scowled. "Why is it that I don't believe you? Move away from the horse and let us search it. It could be carrying a bomb or explosives from Hearts for all I know."

Alfred was about to protest, but Arthur's men forcibly dragged him away from Artemis before he had the chance to do anything. He didn't struggle, knowing that it would be a pointless effort. Instead he quietly fumed while the Spades soldiers circled Artemis, searching for any kind of weapon. Alfred was relieved that he had the chance to search the sack before any of the Spades had, especially when Arthur started to search through it. It would've been terrible if they had found the Spades clock; he would have been devastated. Thank god Prussia had warned him or else Alfred would never have even thought about looking into the bag at all.

Finally when both Arthur and Yao had been satisfied with the search, they turned back to Alfred and men who were holding him. Arthur made a gesture at the soldiers and they immediately released Alfred. The teenager grimaced and rubbed his arms where the soldiers' grip had bruised his skin and scowled moodily at the Royals.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"No," Yao admitted. "Only the bag, which had nothing of importance in it."

"Great, awesome. Does that mean I can have her back now?" Alfred reached out a hand towards Artemis who was being led forward by a Spade. She stretched out her neck in his direction and whined softly. Arthur and Yao exchanged a glance.

"Well, I'm not sure if that would be for the best, Alfred." Arthur said.

Alfred stilled. "What do you mean?" he demanded angrily, taking a step towards Arthur.

"He means," Yao interrupted, stepping in Alfred's way. "That the horse is not yours. Not anymore. She barged straight into a Spades camp, destroying half of our supplies along the way, so she is therefore Spades property. It is up to Arthur and me to decide what to do with her. The horse is no longer your priority; I would suggest finding a better way to spend your time than to argue with us."

"If you think for _one second_ that I'm going to give up the only thing that reminds me of my old life in Hearts, you must be crazy." Alfred said, trying to stay calm. "She's always been mine ever since I helped her mother give birth to her; she won't listen to anyone other than me! You'll be wasting your time if you think you can control her!"

Yao was seething, Alfred could tell; his hands were clenched at his side and his eyes were narrowed with dislike and anger. It gave Alfred the slightest bit of satisfaction that he had finally been able to annoy the Jack enough to make him lose a bit of his iron-like control.

"Do not assume that you can tell me what I can and cannot do," Yao said. "You are nothing but a prisoner of the Spades Army, you have no right-

"Oh, right. Of course, how could I forget? I am a slave of the wonderful, amazing, flawless Kingdom of Spades! But let me tell you something," Alfred said softly. "I am Alfred Jones, the Jack of Hearts, and I expect to be treated with some level of respect. I could contact my King and Queen at any time I want and tell them to declare war on Spades right away, regardless of the fact that I am in the Kingdom itself."

"You're bluffing," Arthur said. "There is no way you could possibly do that. We took away any means of communication from you."

"You don't know that," Alfred said confidently, hoping that the pair would believe his lie. Pretending to be a Royal was actually much easier than he had originally thought that it was going to be; all he had to do was act like a self-obsessed snob. And he was doing a pretty good job of it too since neither Yao nor Arthur had figured out the truth yet.

"You don't know what tricks I have up my sleeve," Alfred continued. "So _I_ would suggest you let me keep my horse, or else, who knows what could happen."

Yao was furious. This time he was the one who took a step forward- probably to strangle Alfred with every bit of strength he had- but Arthur grabbed his sleeved and yanked him back, hard. Arthur muttered something into Yao's ear, talking so quietly that Alfred couldn't hear. Eventually, Yao started to calm down. His tense posture relaxed and his fisted unclenched.

"Are you sure?" he finally asked Arthur out loud.

Arthur nodded. "It can hardly do more harm than good; and he has promised not to run away. I see no reason to keep his horse from him."

Alfred's eyes widened at the Queen's words. "Does that mean you're letting me keep Artemis? Really?"

Arthur half smiled at Alfred's excitement; the first time since the Gathering. "Yes, the horse is yours." He snapped his fingers at the soldier nearest to Artemis and he quickly gave the reins to Arthur.

"I am trusting you with this," he said to Alfred before giving him the rope. "Don't make me regret my decision."

Alfred beamed. "You won't, I promise! Artemis, you can stay!" he threw his arms around her neck again and hugged her with all of his might. He breathed in the familiar smell of hay and dirt that still lingered from the Hearts stable, and squeezed his eyes shut. He laughed shakily at himself; he was already missing Hearts and it hadn't even been a full week yet. How pathetic.

Alfred shook his head and reopened his eyes to find himself staring out at the Spades landscape. Despite how he had joked before about Spades being beautiful, it really was something to different. Something unique. He looked out at the horizon and his gaze eventually fell on the tree that he had been tied to earlier. Prussia was still standing there, much to his surprise. As he watched, he saw the Joker solute once before blending into the background, like he had been nothing more than an image created by Alfred's imagination.

"Alfred!" Arthur called out, breaking his concentration. Alfred turned around.

"Yeah?"

"You can ride your horse until we reach the Castle, but then you must stay inside a carriage until we can get you inside without being seen. We don't want the citizens to know we're keeping a Heart hostage; it would be too much talk for my liking."

"Okay," Alfred agreed grudgingly and Arthur turned his back. Alfred would much rather ride Artemis all through the towns while laughing loudly like a mad man, but Arthur had let him keep her while Yao had been all for keeping them separated. He could be nice to Arthur, just this once.

Artemis nudged Alfred's head gently with her nose, and he stroked her neck with the palm of his hand.

"Don't worry," he told her as they stood together alone. "We'll be fine. I won't let anyone take you away from me; you're the only friend I have left."

-o0o-

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."  
>Friedrich Nietzsche<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(German) _Mein Gott_- my god

_Ja_- yes

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***When Prussia talks about the **_**Plan**_**, he's referring to this large book that is owned by the Jokers. Everything about anything is in this book; it has the entire history of the Suits, the biographies of every person that ever lived, what will happen in the future… literally everything, and more information is constantly being added into it magically. The Eternal Implements of the Triumvirates were made from the book, and that is how they get their powers. Jokers don't have Eternal Implements because they get full access to the Plan instead. The Wild Card completely changes the Plan because he/she affects everyone they come in contact with, forcing the people of all of the Suits to think and look at things differently. They practically rewrite the entire Plan because they literally change everything that was the norm in the Suits up until they were born. This is another reason why Wild Cards are so important.**


	10. Chapter 9, Spades Castle

**3/3/2012 **

**Oh, my god, this chapter took forever to write; so sorry for the wait. This was my first time writing about Lithuania (Toris) or Puerto Rico (Rica), so they might be a bit out of character. Also, please read **_**everything**_**. I know it's annoying, but it's really necessary to the story. Thanks again for everything!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

Alfred cupped his chin in his hand and stared out the window at the sprawling hills of Spades, bored. He didn't know how long he had been cooped up in the bedroom, but it had been at least an hour since Arthur had dumped him here. At first Alfred had tried to leave the room, but the door was locked. Luckily he had been able to unlock it with a pin that had been holding the curtains up, but he had come face to face with two Spades soldiers the second he had taken a step into the corridor. So here he was, waiting. Waiting for what, he had no idea. He just hoped that Arthur wouldn't forget that he had left Alfred in here, or worse starve him to death. That would be the worst.

There was the sound of raised voices from the corridor, and he watched the door warily. As much as he didn't want to be abandoned, he also didn't want to be the receiving end of some random stranger's anger. He didn't know to whom this room belonged to; Arthur had just shoved him in here and left without saying a word. What if the people came into this room? How would he explain why he was in here?

Alfred stood up as the voices drew closer and backed away so that he bumped into the stone wall opposite to the door. He grit his teeth and braced himself; he wasn't disappointed. There was a brief argument from directly outside before the door was flung open and a number of people entered. The person leaded the group was Arthur, of course. Behind him followed Yao, looking severely annoyed- not much of a change there- and a herd of men and women all wearing similar outfits that were less sophisticated than the two Royals'. They all carried an array of objects from riding cloaks, to a tray of foods, or even scrolls with quills and ink.

They must be servants, Alfred thought. But what are they all doing here with Arthur and Yao? Did something happen?

"Arthur- Arthur, calm down, you must think this through before making any rash decisions-" Yao was saying as Arthur marched into the room. Arthur turned on his heel and glared at his Jack, forcing the entire parade that had been following him to come to a sudden halt.

"I'm not making any rash decisions," Arthur said, obviously trying to hold in his anger. "I don't have any choice but to do as they ask, and neither do you! You are my Jack, you have to come with me whether you like it or not. We must leave immediately. Ready the horses," he told the servants and they scrambled to obey his orders as quickly as they could. They all exited the room, leaving the objects they had been holding on the bed. Only one man remained, but he did not speak and neither Arthur nor Yao criticized him for staying, so Alfred assumed that this servant was different from the others. Maybe he was a messenger or something; he was holding a scroll after all.

"Um, are you going somewhere?" Alfred asked, noticing that neither of the Royals had changed out of their traveling clothes yet. Arthur turned at the sound of his voice, his face strained.

"Yes," he said. "And there are some things I need to take care of with concern to you before I go."

"How long are you going to be gone for? Haven't you already been away for a while because of the Gathering?"

Arthur sighed tiredly, and Alfred almost felt sorry for him. Being ruler of a Kingdom wasn't exactly easy, after all.

"I'm not sure how long I'm going to be gone," he told Alfred. "A few days, at least. But don't worry, I've found someone to show you around the place in my absence." He gestured at the servant who handed the scroll over to Yao before standing beside his Queen.

"Alfred," said Arthur. "This is Toris Lorinaitis, one of the higher ranking servants in the Castle. He will be your guide and mentor until we can find something useful for you to do. Please just do as he says and try not to get into trouble before I return. You and Toris have a lot in common, so at least try to get along. I must be going." He nodded at the servant- Toris, Alfred reminded himself- before striding away towards the door.

"Wha- that's it?" Alfred asked.

Arthur turned around again, this time annoyed. "Is that what?"

"You're not going to put me in a dungeon or something? Aren't I your prisoner?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Do you want to be locked in the dungeon? Because, trust me, I can do that if you wish. That is something I would not regret doing."

"No!" Alfred yelped. "No! That would be awful, god, don't do that!"

"Then stop complaining," Arthur said. "And be happy that I'm letting you roam free for the time being. We will have to see what I plan to do with you when I come back. In other words, _behave_. I will see both of you in a few days time, hopefully."

"Good luck, Your Majesty." Toris said politely before Arthur could leave.

His expression softened. "Thank you, Toris." All three looked at Alfred.

He coughed. "Uh, bye. Have fun doing… whatever it is you have to do."

"I will try," Arthur said, looking somewhat amused at Alfred's choice of words. He exited the room, and Yao followed after scowling at Alfred for a moment.

The door shut, and there was a moment of awkward silence before Alfred said, "So, are you my bodyguard or something to make sure I don't run away?"

To his surprise, Toris chuckled. "No, sir. The Queen trusts your promise to him. I am just here to help you find your way around Spades until you can travel around on your own."

"O-oh," Alfred said, at lost for words.

Toris smiled and held out a hand. "I know that the Queen has already told you my name, but I would prefer to make my own introductions, if I may. My name is Toris Lorinaitis, Mister Jones. It is a pleasure to see you again."

Alfred automatically shook hands with the servant before he realized what was wrong with the sentence Toris had just said.

"Wait a second," Alfred frowned. "Did you just say 'it's a pleasure to see you again'? What do you mean; I have never seen you before in my life! And how do you know my name? What did England tell you?"

"The Queen has told me nothing except inform me of my duties to guide you around Spades," Toris said calmly. "We might not have been introduced before, Mister Jones, but I have seen you once, a long time ago."

"What? Where?" A tight knot formed in the pit of Alfred's stomach; what did this servant know about him? If Toris knew that he wasn't the Jack of Hearts, all of Alfred's planning would go to waste. Arthur might seriously hurt him if he knew the truth, and who knew how it would affect Arthur's ideas for Hearts; no one knew it yet, but a war could easily break out at any time between the two Kingdoms.

"I saw you the night you visited the Kingdom of Clubs first time with the Triumvirate of Hearts. You were with the Queen- Kiku Honda-, the King- Ludwig Beilschmidt-, and the Jack- Feliciano Vargas." Toris said, confirming what Alfred was thinking. "You were quite something that night, standing up to Ivan like you did; I was very impressed."

Alfred blinked. "You were?"

Toris nodded, his lips twitching at Alfred's confused expression. "Yes. Mister Jones, you see me now as the servant of Spades. But before I came here, I was Toris Lorinaitis, a member of the Royal Deck of Clubs."

Alfred recoiled from the other in shock. "You're a Royal from Clubs?"

"Yes, sir." Toris said.

"Then what are you doing here?" Alfred demanded angrily. "Royals' Tattoos don't change-"

"Oh, I can personally assure you that they can, Mister Jones." Toris said.

"Stop with the 'Mister Jones' thing!" Alfred groaned. "Are you here from Clubs to spy on me or something? Or do you just want to destroy the whole façade I've been putting up with for the past three days?"

"I am not here to spy on you; I am a citizen of Spades now." He reached down and pulled down the high sock around his left leg to show Alfred a blue Spades Tattoo clearly standing out against his pale skin. "Like I have said before, I am here to help you. I would never dream of harming you, Mister Jones."

Alfred stared at him warily, not willing to trust anyone especially after what had happened with Arthur. "I don't really believe you," he said slowly. "Why would your Tattoo change? And I said stop calling me Mister Jones! It's freaking me out."

"Of course, sir." Toris bowed his head respectfully, only succeeding in annoying Alfred more. "What should I call you instead?"

"Uh, how about Alfred? That is my name!"

Toris nodded. "Well Alfred, believe it or not, my Tattoo changed shortly after you came to visit Clubs."

Alfred's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because of what happened that night."

"You mean the night of the banquet? How would that ever affect your Tattoo?" Alfred asked, confused. "It was a complete disaster, especially when I fought with Braginski."

Toris grinned. "That is what did it, I think."

"The fight? But why would-"

"I was amazed by how you stood up for your friend, even if he was the Queen; you were daring to fight against the strongest man in our entire Kingdom to defend him. No one in our Kingdom had ever done that before, and to say that I was surprised would be an understatement. Ivan had been a bully for ages, yet here you were, choosing to defy him even though the odds were stacked against you. At first, I thought you were foolish but then I watched as you struggled against him and I was amazed by how you stood your ground. It was…incredible, to say the least. You were confident, bold, strong, and brave and you managed to challenge Ivan like no one ever had. It forced me to think about where I stood in my Kingdom and how I thought about the people inside of it. I wanted to follow you after you were sent away and learn more about you, but I could not as you were already forbidden from returning. As a result, within a few days of seeing you, my Tattoo changed to a Spade. I was surprised not because of the change, but of what shape it had formed into. If anything, I thought my Tattoo would turn into a Heart so I could have the chance to meet up with you again." He smiled kindly at Alfred. "Funny how the world works, isn't it? I thought I would never see you after I moved to Spades, yet here you are, standing in front of me."

Alfred swallowed thickly. "You know who I am, though. You know that I'm not the Jack of Hearts. You realize that's the only reason England's brought me back here, right? If you tell him who I am, everything I've done up until now will be for nothing. He will kill me."

"Oh, no, I would never think of telling the Queen who you are!" Toris said with alarm. Alfred was surprised at how truthful his words were; he could see how the thought upset the servant. "Didn't I tell you before? I'm happy to show you around Spades; it's not that bad, really. Once you get used to it, you will grow to love it like I have."

"So…you won't tell England about my true identity then?" Alfred asked skeptically.

"No, of course not." Toris said. "Alfred, I admire your compassion for your friends greatly. It was you who helped me find my true home, here in Spades. I want to help you now, and only ask you for the chance for you to accept Spades as you see it. Please don't judge it all just on the actions of our Queen, though I am sure he had a good reason for bringing you here."

"You don't know why I was arrested then?" Alfred's heart sunk.

"No, I'm afraid not. But I'm sure all will be reveled in time. For now there is nothing to do but to let me show you around your new home." Toris walked over towards the door and gestured Alfred to follow. The teenager sighed, but did as he was asked. As entered the hallway, Alfred turned to look at Toris sideways.

"You said you were a member of the Clubs' Royal Deck," he said.

Toris' face fell. "Yes, that is true. What about it?"

"What was your title?"Alfred asked, honestly curious.

"Lithuania. Number Seven."

"Well, Lithuania," Alfred said with a grin. "I'm glad that the first person I met here is someone like you. Maybe in the future we can become friends."

Toris gave a smile small in return. "I would like that, Alfred. I hope in time that you will be able to meet others and become friends with them as well. This place is your new home, after all."

Alfred shrugged. "We'll see," he said doubtfully. It didn't matter what anyone else said about Spades, Hearts was his true home, and he would never forget that.

-o0o-

"First things first," Toris said cheerfully as he strode down the hallway. Alfred had to nearly jog to keep up with him, the servant was moving so quickly. "You need new clothes."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked defensively. "My clothes are fine; they're from the Gathering. No one can tell I'm from Hearts in this."

"Yes, but no one can tell if you're from Spades, either. And please don't tell me that you want to wear the same shirt and pants for the rest of your life. No, you need new clothes; proper Spades clothes." He halted suddenly, and Alfred almost bumped into him. They were standing in front of a large door, old wooden and worn out. Toris turned back to Alfred.

"This is the Royal, eh, Clothing Room I guess you could say. This is where all of the outfits for the Queen and Jack are made, as well as all of the Numbers. The women in here also sew, do embroidery and mend other cloth-like fabrics. Here we can get you measured, then go into town and get you your new clothes."

"That seems like a lot of stuff to do just to get me something to wear," Alfred whined.

"Cheer up," Toris said with a smile. "It's not that bad, the girls are very nice and they love to meet new people." With that he pushed the doors open and walked inside. After a moment of hesitation, Alfred followed.

The room was huge, covered from top to bottom in fabric ranging in all shades of blue and purple. The floor was covered with silk, cotton, satin, and velvet, all looking as if they would cost a fortune. There were windows on the opposite wall that stretched to the ceiling, revealing the beautiful countryside of Spades. Woman of all ages were scattered across the room; girls no older than five were struggling with a needle and string while seniors with wrinkled hands patiently helped them along, women in their twenties chatted happily with each other as they compared color schemes, and a group of teenagers were giggling in a corner to their right. Alfred was surprised by the amount of people in the room, and the easy feel of which they worked together. If there was ever a room like this in the Hearts Castle, he had never come across it.

"Surprised?" Toris asked, clearly amused at Alfred's expression.

"Yeah," Alfred breathed. He looked around the room with wide eyes. "I've never seen anything like this before!"

"There wasn't a place like this in your home?"

"No, I mean, we never really needed one. There were special people that made the Triumvirate's clothes, but everyone mainly knew how to mend or make their own clothes."

Toris' brow furrowed. "You were all taught in the trade of sewing? Does that mean you all worked as seamstresses?"

"What? No, of course not! It's just, if we were ever in a battle or something, we would need to able to take care of ourselves. And knowing how to sew is important to survive if you are in the middle of nowhere and need to keep warm or make a bandage. It's not that we were taught how to do it for a job, we were taught it because it is a necessary skill for war."

"Oh," Toris said. "I suppose that makes sense, but it is not a war time. It is peaceful now."

Alfred's face darkened. "For now it is," he muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Alfred said shaking his head. He really didn't need Toris to worry about war between Spades and Hearts since he didn't even know for sure if it would happen yet or not. Right now, he just wanted to focus on how to live in Spades without drawing attention to himself.

Toris looked worried. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could there was a loud squeal and instantly they were surrounded by a gaggle of teenage girls.

"Hello, Toris!" one of them greeted cheerfully in English. Toris' face melted back into his normal smile, much to Alfred's relief.

"Hello, girls. How are you?"

"Good! Is there something you need?" all the while, they kept sneaking glances at Alfred. Whenever he caught one of them staring, she would give a small squeak and turn away while giggling with her friends. Alfred was perplexed by the entire situation; were they happy to see him or nervous? Did he look weird or something? Was that why they were all staring at him?

"Yes, actually. I need your help measuring my friend here; he just came here from the countryside and lost all of his clothes on the way. He needs to be measured so we can go to the village and buy him some more."

The girls exchanged delighted looks with each other and Alfred watched them warily. What were they going to do to him?

"What's his name?" another girl asked. "I've never seen him around before." She boldly met Alfred's gaze when he turned to her, refusing to back down. He frowned in response, not liking the way she watched him.

"Alfred Jones," Toris answered. "He came here looking for work from the farmland. He doesn't know much English or Chinese, but I'm sure if you talk in Hoppípollan-"

"I will be the judge of that." The girl said. She walked forward and the girls moved out of her way so that she could stand in front of Alfred. She held out her hand in front of her.

"The name is Abigail. And what is yours?"

"Alfred Jones," he responded in English, surprising everyone and shook hands with her. She had a firm handshake; the kind military women would have in Hearts. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."

She grinned in reply. "So you _do_ know English then."

"A bit," he admitted.

"Thought so; you look English, maybe even American. Where exactly do you come from-?"

"Alfred, why didn't you tell me you spoke English?" Toris interrupted. "It would have saved me quite some time."

He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry Toris."

"Do you know Chinese too?" a different girl spoke this time. Her hair was dark in color but her skin was pale. Her eyes tilted up slightly at the ends, reminding Alfred of Kiku for a moment. He winced and repressed the memory before he could think about it anymore.

"Yes," he said in Chinese. The girl beamed.

"Don't worry, Toris." Abigail spoke up again. "We'll take good care of him. Just stand by the door and we'll have him measured up in no time." The girls started to pull on Alfred's clothes, dragging him towards a corner of the room that was separated by a curtain. Alfred looked back at Toris with alarm, but the man just smiled and waved.

"Wha- what are you doing?" Alfred asked nervously.

"Measuring you, of course." Abigail rolled her eyes. "Just hurry up and stand behind the curtain and take your clothes off." She gave him a little push.

"Wait- what? All of my clothes?"

"Well, not your underwear obviously, but everything else, yes. C'mon, don't be a baby." And with that they shoved him behind the curtain, giggling all the while.

-o0o-

Toris was grinning when Alfred managed to stumble back over to him.

"So? How did it go?"

"I just got _attacked_ by a group of teenage girls and you're just _standing_ there and _smiling_." Alfred grumbled and stalked past Toris. The other laughed out loud and jogged to catch up.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Toris said, still smiling.

"You weren't the one in there!" Alfred cried. "God, no girl ever did that to me in Hearts."

"You're new," Toris said and shrugged as if this was a good explanation. "Do you have the measurements?"

"Yeah, here." Alfred handed him a sheet of paper. Toris read it over then flipped it to see the back and raised his eyebrows.

"Why are there names and addresses on the back of this?" he asked Alfred.

"That's all of their names and places where they live." Alfred growled. "Said that if I needed a guide and you weren't available that they would be happy to help." Toris laughed again.

"They are the over-helpful type especially when they see someone they like." He said and pocketed the paper. The other grimaced.

"Where are we going now?" Alfred asked. "To the village?"

"Eventually, but I think I should give you a tour of the Castle before we go. At least now that I know you understand the Spades' languages you shouldn't have hard time learning where everything is."

Alfred grimaced. "Sorry for not telling you, by the way."

"It's alright, but- if you don't mind me asking- how do you know the languages? Few people bother to learn the tongues of those other than the ones of their own Kingdom."

"I'm good with languages; I know all of the main ones in every Suit." Alfred said.

Toris' eyes widened. "Really? What about Russian? Or Hungarian or Austrian?"

"Yep, I know those too. But out of all the ones I've learned that aren't part of Hearts, English came the easiest to me. It was kinda like I already knew how to speak it, I just didn't realize it."

"So…you learn quickly?" Toris reasoned.

"I guess. I mean, I've never thought about it before."

"Turn here," Toris said and they both went to the right. Toris stared at Alfred with a frown. "What do you mean you've never thought about it before? Didn't you go to school? Or did your parents teach you everything?"

"I never knew my parents," Alfred said. "And we don't really have a school; every kid in Hearts goes to military training and that's where we learn everything we need to know. Other than that we don't really learn anything else."

"Don't you have libraries or scholars? What about Universities?"

"Uh, I know that there are a few libraries in some of the villages, and there's a huge one in the Castle."

"I don't understand then how you were able to teach yourself the other languages then." Toris said.

"I'm friends with the Queen, remember? Kiku loved books and learning new stuff unlike most of the other people in the Kingdom. I can't tell you how many times I ended up spending an entire day in the Hearts Castle Library with him. I know a little bit more about the world than other Hearts because of that."

"Interesting," Toris said thoughtfully. "You should be impressed with our library then if you are not used to large libraries."

"Oh really?" Alfred grinned.

"Yes, I guarantee it is double the size of whatever library you visited in Hearts."

"And why would that be?" Alfred asked as Toris slowed down.

"Well, Diamonds are known for their jewels and precious metals, Clubs are known for their luck and extreme weather conditions, and Hearts are known for their fighting skills and their ability to deal with others. Spades, on the other hand, is known for their knowledge and cleverness. Therefore, the libraries and schools of this land are truly quite something. Remind me to get you a proper teacher later and you will understand what I mean."

Toris turned the corner before Alfred had the chance to reply. Alfred followed, and stopped short next to Toris when he saw what was in front of them.

It was a huge archway that reached all the way up to the ceiling, decorated with complicated designs made from stone. Vines curled around the pillars on either side and small candles were attached to them, giving the whole appearance a mystical feel to it. Inside of the archway was a room that was so large that it could easily fit twenty village houses without it being too crowded.

And along the walls, on the floor, on shelves, on tables and chairs, were books. There were millions upon millions of books ranging from a few pages to glossaries a foot thick; some of them were brand new, while others were old and yellow. People of all ages and professions were scanning the pages, and Alfred could even see some soldiers in armor parading around. Not only that, but there was talking and laughter where he would have expected complete silence and concentration.

The part of the library that wasn't books was beautiful in its own right. It was decorated as if it was a ballroom or the throne room rather than a mere storage place. The floor was a rich blue carpet, and the walls were covered with elite paintings of Spades. Windows were scattered everywhere, even on the ceiling, letting as much natural light in as possible. And where there weren't windows was light fixtures dangling from the bookcases. There were seats and tables everywhere too; sometimes cushions or couches with small tables, others stiff wooden chairs and stone hard tables made from marble.

Toris was right; the Spades Castle Library was astounding.

"So, what did I tell you?" Toris said. He looked proudly at the Library as if it had been his singular idea to make it. "Isn't it something, Alfred?"

Alfred closed his gapping mouth and nodded. "That it is," he managed to say through his shock. "You guys must really like books."

Toris chuckled.

"That we do," he said. "I will give you a complete tour of it another day. Right now we must continue on our way. I promise to let you hear a philosopher speech too, if we can find time." He gently tugged on Alfred's sleeve, pulling the still surprised teenager away from the Library. Alfred eventually got the message and trudged along after his guide.

"Where to next?" he asked.

"The Kitchen, I think." Toris said. "I assume you're hungry?" Alfred nodded. "Good. After that we will go to the Armory and the Shooting Range- the military training area in general. I think you'll like that part."

"Okay," Alfred agreed. "Just, can you tell me one thing?"

"Of course."

"Spades food isn't as bad as England's cooking, is it?"

Toris blinked. "You've tried the Queen's food?"

Alfred made a face. "Unfortunately."

Toris laughed out loud at the statement. "You have no need to worry about that. Not all of the English are terrible cooks; however, few of them work in the Spades Castle Kitchen. I am sure you will find the food here to the best of your standards."

Alfred nodded, but was still a bit skeptical. This was still Arthur's people after all and he was used to the high quality food of Italians, Germans and Japanese. But, he was brave and the food really couldn't be that bad. Hopefully.

-o0o-

Much to Alfred's relief, Toris offered to cook the lunch himself for the both of them. That way, Alfred could explore and talk to the rest of the crew. The Kitchen itself was big and extravagant, but not as large or advanced as the one at Hearts. Which was fine, of course, just different.

It was an interesting experience that was for sure. The Kitchen was extremely loud and lively, but in a good way. Everyone was constantly on the move, and Alfred had even been asked to help out with simple tasks once or twice even thought they didn't have a clue of who he was. He found himself laughing along with the crew and introducing himself before Toris dragged him over to eat the food he cooked. By the time they finished lunch, several of the cooks knew Alfred's name.

The Armory, Shooting Range, and anything that pertained to the Army or fighting was called the Military Training Area (MTA for short). It was smaller than Hearts training grounds, but that was to be expected since Hearts was a fighting Kingdom and Spades was a books kind of place. Another thing that was different was the types of weapons in the Armory. Alfred was one hundred percent sure that Hearts had every kind of weapon available, but there were defiantly some things in there that he had no idea what they were.

"Toris, what is this?" Alfred asked curiously. He was holding up some strange contraption that had screws and a thin tube made of plastic. It was made completely of wood, but implanted in it were thin sheets of some type of silver metal that were pointy at the tips.

"Oh, that thing?" Toris headed over to him, breaking off a conversation with another soldier. "Sometimes people from the village drop off their inventions for weapons here, and anyone who wants to try them out can. If it turns out to be something great, it's usually tested out by the Jack and Queen and then its mass produced for the rest of the army. This weapon in particular was probably dropped off recently; I haven't seen it here before. Oh, and just make sure to-"

Alfred poked a red button on its side and instantly one of the silver darts shot out at stunning speed. Toris ducked with a yelp and it whizzed over his head before crashing into the opposite wall.

"I- I'm sorry!" Alfred cried as Toris stood back up. "I swear, I had no idea-"

"Alfred, I'm fine." Toris reassured him. "But as I was saying before, you need to be careful. These weapons haven't been fully tested; they could hurt people. If you train here, you can use them. But for right now, try not to pick up something you don't know about."

Alfred nodded. "Sorry," he said again.

Toris smiled softly. "It's alright. Just be careful."

"I will," Alfred promised.

"Good. Are you ready to head to the village then?"

"Will I be able to come back here?" Alfred wanted to try out some more of the weapons for himself; who knew what some of these new inventions did!

"Of course, but I am not sure if the Queen will allow you to spend a lot of your time here."

Alfred winced, reminding himself that he was still a prisoner regardless of how much freedom he had been given.

"Don't worry, Alfred." Toris said as they headed out of the Armory. "I do not think that the Queen will be that harsh on you. In fact, I am surprised by how well he is treating you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been here for several years. But when I first arrived, I had to learn my way around on my own; I had no guide or help like you do. Slowly I've been able to win the favor of the Royals of Spades because of my dedication to this Kingdom. And as a result, I run errands and do special favors for the Queen and Jack."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, because of my job I know the Triumvirate a bit better than most in the Castle. I know their personalities and their habits; I know them. So, I think that it is fair for me to say that it is rare occurrence when the Queen treats someone with as much respect or consideration as he has with you. And that's including the citizens of his Kingdom."

"I don't understand," Alfred said as they traveled farther from the Castle and onto a winding dirt path. "Why would England care about me? I'm the enemy, according to him."

"I'm not sure," Toris admitted. "I guess only time will tell."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, continuing on the old path. Alfred shoved his hands in his pockets and stared around at the scenery. Right now, the road was going through a patch of dense trees. It was worn out, so it had to be used often, but for what purpose? It was too small for horses or carriages to travel on, so that meant that only people used it.

"This way," Toris said, breaking Alfred's concentration. He was standing to the left in front an uprooted tree as the path curved away to the right.

"What is this?" Alfred asked as he joined his guide.

"It's a secret passageway to the village," Toris said. "Well, actually it's not that secret since almost all of the servants know where it is." He climbed over the uprooted tree and waited patiently for Alfred to follow.

"Why don't you just take the main road that all of the horses and carriages use? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Toris shook his head. "It's too crowded. And you need to show proof that you work in the Castle before entering or leaving Royal grounds. Trust me, this way is much easier." He pulled back a few branches to reveal a fence made of iron. There was a noticeable hole, large enough for people to sneak in and out of. Beyond the thicket Alfred could barely make out the sound of voices and the cries of animals.

"This will lead us to the village?" Alfred turned back to Toris.

"Yes. We just need to get to the other side of the fence and it will be right there."

"And then I can finally get some new clothes?" Alfred grinned.

Toris laughed. "Yes, you can. I think you will like the village." He continued to say as Alfred slid through the hole.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"A lot of the people are like you. They are a lively bunch who goes back and forth between pleasing the Royals and having their own fun."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he saw the back of a hut appear out of the trees. Toris simply walked around the side of the small house, almost leaving the teenager behind.

"Toris! Is it okay for us to just go on another person's property like this? Isn't it like trespassing or something?" Alfred hissed when he had caught up. Toris raised his eyebrows.

"Of course not. The people who own this hut are used to servants walking in and out of their backyard by now. It's mostly used for storage anyways. No need to worry, Alfred. Most of the people in the village are very friendly; if you were homeless, you would probably be invited to stay overnight in every house in the town."

"Really?" Alfred asked, surprised.

"Yes, really." Toris smiled. "Let's continue."

Toris led Alfred around the side of the house, revealing a bustling road made from stone. The street was crowded with carts and people all trying to move about, but they all seemed good natured and greeted each other with smiles and waves. Alfred could smell all kinds of foods being prepared on the streets, and even from the huts through an open window. The noises made from the crowd were loud and cheerful. Not at all overbearing.

And everything was made almost entirely of blue and grey; shinning stones, silver colored baskets, dull grey shoes, blue cloth, indigo carts, and purple flowers. Most of the food being sold was of the same color scheme as well: blueberries, plums, grapes and other things he had no name to match with. Alfred was so surprised at the difference in color from his own Kingdom that for several seconds he could do nothing but gape openly.

"The clothing store is this way, Alfred." Toris said. The teenager blinked and Toris smiled in amusement.

"Sorry," Alfred said again for the third time that day. "I didn't mean to…to…"

"To stare?" Toris asked and Alfred nodded. "Don't worry about it; everything here will be strange to you at first, but I'm sure you will get used to it eventually. I did."

"Was Clubs as different from Spades as it is from Hearts?" Alfred said as they headed towards the crowd.

"I imagine so, but I have never been to Hearts so I can't really answer." He looked back at Alfred with another smile before turning to the street. "Stay close to me, you can get lost easily in here if you don't know the way."

The farther they traveled into the town, the more interesting and weird everything got. The buildings turned from simple huts, to tall, elaborate buildings double in size. The people changed too; instead of uncomplicated, comfortable clothes, they were wearing long robs with heavy jewelry and strange hats. Less and less carts appeared on the sides and crowds hovered on corners, listening to men professing theories and science. It was one of the weirdest things Alfred had ever experienced.

"Is it normal for people to crowd around while a guy talks about science?" Alfred asked loudly over the voices of the villagers.

"Yes, there are many professors that travel through the village." Toris said. "Everyone likes to hear them speak, and it is interesting what they say. You should attend one if you can."

"Maybe," Alfred said skeptically. "But I'm not really a patient type of guy."

"Maybe your mind will change," Toris suggested. "I know mine did. Here, this is it." Toris grabbed Alfred's sleeve and pulled him aside so that he wouldn't be taken away by the crowd. Alfred blinked and stared up at the store. It wasn't anything big, but it looked nice. Toris walked forward, opened the door and beckoned Alfred to follow.

"Toris! Back here again, are you?" said a scolding voice. Alfred turned to find a large woman standing with her arms crossed. She glared at Toris, but there was amusement in her eyes that showed that she wasn't serious about being mad at him. Behind her Alfred could barely see the outline of a small girl peeking out. Alfred grinned at her, and the girl ducked out of sight again, blushing red.

"Sorry, Maria." Toris said. "You know how it is in the Castle."

The woman snorted. "You know I do. Couldn't make me spend another bloody second in that place even if you paid me to. So, what're you here for this time?"

"Uh, Alfred, this is my good friend, Maria. She was one of the first people who helped me settle in Spades when I came here." Toris explained while the two shook hands.

"Hi, Maria." Alfred said and she nodded, looking him over.

"Alfred needs new clothes." Toris told her. "Can you help him find something? I have the measurements here." He handed her the paper. She read it over quickly, her eyes narrowed.

"Did you get this from the sewing girls in the Castle?" she asked Alfred abruptly, surprising him.

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"No, those girls are idiots but at least the one thing they are good at is their job." She handed him the paper back before turning her back on him.

"Oi, Rica!" She yelled. "Come over here! I need you to take care of this customer!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Relax, Maria." A girl walked out from behind a curtain in the back of the store. She was older than the child hiding behind Maria, but most defiantly younger than Alfred. And smaller too. She had large eyes like that of a doe and long wavy hair that cascaded down her back like a black waterfall. She wore a simple white skirt with bands of different shades of blue around its edges. Her blouse was white too, and both pieces complimented her tanned skin tone.

When she made her way to the front of the store, she stared at Alfred with as much surprise as he felt; he had never seen another girl like her. Her brown eyes moved up and down, looking him over much like Maria had done. Then Toris cleared his throat awkwardly and the girl- Rica?- looked away, her cheeks reddening.

"Hello, Rica." Toris said kindly.

"Toris," she said. She had a strange accent, Alfred noted. A type he had never heard before; it sounded kinda Italian, but a little harsher, almost.

"Rica, this is Alfred Jones. Alfred, this is Rica."

"Oh, er, hi." He half-smiled and she blushed harder.

"Rica!" Maria said and handed Rica the paper. "Here, help him find something appropriate to wear."

"_Si_, Maria. Um, sir, can you follow me _por favor_?" she asked Alfred. Together they headed towards the back of the store while Maria, the smaller girl, and Toris stayed in the front. Their voices faded as Alfred and Rica walked farther away. They stopped and Rica pulled away a curtain to reveal a large back room filled with cloth and sewing materials. Alfred followed her as she moved to the right and began opening draws, searching for something.

"So, Rica, huh?" Alfred said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he tried to find something to say. Rica paused and turned to smile at him.

"I know, weird name right?"

"Yeah," Alfred said, happy that she hadn't taken his comment as an insult. "How'd you get a name like that?"

"Well, it's a nick name Maria came up with when I started working with her. She always forgot my real name so she came up with 'Rica' instead." she said with a shrug. "But I like it. I think it suits me."

"Why is that your nick name?" he asked.

"I come from a small town someplace on the edge of Spades, and it's called Puerto Rico. So, Maria just changed Rico to Rica and there you go. Rica is the name that everyone knows me as, so there's no point in changing it by now." She went back to rummaging in the draw and Alfred saw her eyes light up as if she had found something she liked.

"Here," she said and shoved a pile of clothes into his arms. "Hold that for a sec. Wait, come over here!" she ran across the room, and he tried to follow as quickly as he could without tripping. She started checking out the different shelves, sometimes throwing scarves or hats on top of the growing pile in his arms. Alfred could tell that she knew her way around the place pretty well since she seemed to know exactly what she was looking for and where it was.

"I'm guessing you've been here for a long time?" he asked her while he tried to balance the clothes.

"Oh yeah," he heard her say. "I've been here for like six years; ever since I was a little girl. I came here to help to make money for my family. But now I can't imagine living anyplace but here; the Castle is amazing! And you never get bored, that's for sure. Not with the Royals always traveling through the town to get to the Castle and their servants rushing around trying to get the stuff they need. I love it here. What about you?" Rica appeared next to him and took some of the load out of his arms, placing it onto the table.

"Me?"

"Yeah, how long have you been here? I haven't seen you around before so you probably haven't been here for very long."

"Uh, I just got here today actually." Alfred said as they finished placing all of the clothes Rica had collected onto the table.

"Wow, you're really new than! Did you see the Queen or the Jack yet? They just arrived back here today too from the Gathering."

"I think I might've seen them for a second; I was in the Castle this morning." Alfred lied. As much as he thought Rica was a nice girl, he really didn't want anyone but Toris to know why he was in Spades or how much he had come in contact with its Triumvirate. He had to keep the truth about himself a secret if he was going to survive here.

"Oh, you work in the Castle then." Rica said thoughtfully as she held a shirt. She looked back at him, and then the shirt, before shaking her head and throwing it onto a separate pile. "That's why you're with Toris?"

"He's showing me around and helping me out until I know my way around the place." He said, watching Rica with curiosity. "What are you doing, by the way?"

"Well, there's a certain dress code if you work in the Castle." She explained. "What you wear has to be a little bit more uptight than village clothing, so I'm trying to find you something that will be comfortable yet appropriate at the same time. Ah! Here we go," she gave him a bundle of clothes and shoved him behind a screen in the corner of the room.

"Try that on and tell me what you think," She instructed before turning and walking away.

Alfred heard her pull out a chair next to the table and sit down as he examined what she had chosen. It wasn't anything fancy, which was good; a blue vest, dark grey pants and a long sleeved white shirt with a Spade shape on the upper sleeves. He shrugged out of his Gathering clothes, wincing when they hit the floor with a loud thump. That would be the watch, he thought to himself as he fit on the new clothes Rica had got him. He reached down and fumbled through his pockets before he found the Spades clock again. He tried to see if it had been damaged or not in anyway, but it was hard to tell in the shade of the screen.

"You okay in there?" Rica called out. Alfred nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, hold on a sec." he shoved the watch in the vest pocket before stepping in front of the screen for Rica to see. She smiled at him and then started to laugh when he bowed down to her like she was Royalty.

"So, what do you think?" he asked her.

"Hmm," Rica circled him, looking over the clothes with a trained eye. She smoothed out a wrinkle in the vest and then beamed.

"It's perfect." She said. "Absolutely one hundred percent perfect."

Alfred blinked. "Really?"

"Yes," she insisted. "The color blue- it really suits you, you know?"

"I guess," he frowned. He had never worn any shade of blue in Hearts. Everyone wore the respective color of their own Kingdoms; green for Clubs, orange and yellow for Diamonds, red for Hearts, and finally blue for Spades. In fact, it was almost weird to see himself in blue and grey instead of the dark red he had always worn back home.

"Do you like it?" Rica's face fell.

"No, no, I like it!" Alfred said quickly. "I like it a lot! Trust me, its fine!" He placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"Good, I'm glad." She said, obviously comforted. "Just give me back the vest; I think that's a size too small for you."

"Oh, okay." He shrugged out of the vest and handed it over to her. She took it and sat back down, playing with the stitching at the shoulders. Alfred sat down across from her and cupped his chin with his hands, staring off into space. He wondered if Artemis was alright. He hadn't seen her since they had arrived at the Castle, and had hadn't even thought of her until now because he had been moving nonstop once he had met Toris. Maybe he could convince the servant to show him where the stable was before it was time to stop for the day.

"Alfred?" Rica's voice interrupted his thought process. He blinked and his eyes focused on the seamstress. She was staring at something in her hands, a frown on her face. Alfred saw a flicker of gold between her fingers and he froze.

"Alfred, what is this?" she asked, holding up the Spades clock by its chain.

"Er, it's nothing." He said, trying to keep calm. On the inside, he was panicking. What did she think it was? "Its-"

To his surprise, Rica smiled at him. "It's one of those toy Eternal Implements some of the merchants were selling before, right?" she asked, poking the watch on its side so that it swung back and forth hypnotically.

"…yeah. It's one of those things." He said, relief and confusion rushing through him in equal measures. He was glad that Rica didn't think anything of the watch, but at the same time he didn't understand what she was saying. Eternal Implement? What was she saying? Did she think that the watch was-?

"This is a really good replica," Rica said as she admired it. "It's the right weight and everything. Especially those jewels; they look so real!" she cast him a sly glance, grinning. "Are you sure this isn't the _real _Eternal Implement of the King of Spades?

Alfred frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" she asked.

"Heard what?"

She lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "Washington D.C. - the King's Eternal Implement, you know- is _missing_. I mean, the discovery was very recent, not everyone knows about yet so it makes sense that you don't know. They only realized it during the Gathering while the Queen and Jack and everyone else was gone."

"Do they know how long it's been gone for?" Alfred's stomach flipped uncomfortably.

She shrugged. "No. Like I said, they just discovered it's been missing. It's weird that someone would steal it though because no one even knows how to use the watch anyways, much less know where to find it."

"Ah, right." Alfred said, feeling strangely disconnected and light headed. _What had he done?_

"It's only been a few days, but ever since these toys have been popping up and the kids love them." She handed the watch back to Alfred who took it as if it were as fragile as a bird.

"Do you have a younger sibling that you bought that for?" Rica asked.

"No, I don't have anyone." Alfred said absentmindedly. He wasn't really paying attention, too busy staring at the thing in his hands.

"No one?" Rica repeated and he looked up at the tone in her voice. "No brothers or sisters or parents or anything?"

He shook his head.

"Me too," she said and he stared at her curiously before she blushed.

"I- I mean," she stammered. "I have parents, of course, but no siblings."

"Oh," he said and there was an awkward silence.

"Alfred?"

They both jumped slightly and Toris' face appeared from behind the curtain.

"Toris," Rica said. They both stood up and Alfred hid the watch behind his back so that it was out of sight.

"How is it going? Did you find everything you need?" Toris glanced at Alfred who smiled as normally as he could.

"Yes, I just need to find some formal clothes- for the balls and events like that." She explained to Alfred. She turned away and rushed around the room trying to find the outfits Alfred should have while Toris approached him. Toris placed his hands on Alfred's shoulders and looked him up and down. Finally, his face broke out into a full blown smile.

"You look great." He said.

"You think so?" Alfred asked.

"Yes! I mean, gosh, it looks like these were made specifically _for_ you. I think you're really going to like it here, Alfred. Please, just give Spades a chance."

He grimaced. "I'll try." He said, clenching the clock behind his back.

-o0o-

Within the next few days, Alfred came to recognize and even get to know some of the other people who worked in the Castle. He was especially comfortable with the Kitchen crew and the servants who worked in the Stables. Both groups were lively and cheerful; similar to Alfred in personality, and yet different in a way that surprised him. Unlike Hearts, all of the Spades were well educated and knew a great deal about other Kingdoms in addition to their own; they carried around a sense of intelligence and knowledge that Alfred had only seen in some of the Japanese back at his home.

Regardless of this, none of them seemed to realize that he was an intruder, an alien to their world. None of them questioned if he was a Spade or not, but then again, they had no reason to do so. They all assumed that he was a Spade who had originally lived in the country side and had moved to the Capital to make money. Some of them asked him why a high ranking servant like Toris was the one showing him around when in truth any servant could do so, but he just shrugged since he didn't really know the answer either. Why had Arthur taken such care in making sure that Alfred would be alright? Was it because he thought Alfred was the Jack, or was it something more?

Alfred didn't have much time to dwell on the question as the time passed; every day he was woken up at the crack of dawn by Toris and neither of them stopped moving until the moon was high in the night sky. Since Toris had no idea what job Alfred should be assigned to do, he just let the teenager follow him around and occasionally help the other servants. By doing so, Alfred learned more about Spades then he had originally glanced upon his first day.

The first thing he noticed was that there were many objects in the Spades Kingdom that he had never seen before; baskets that moved through the Castle on wires, candle-like objects that glowed if someone spun a dial on its side, glass that moved and shifted as if made of water, and even flowers of copper and bronze. A lot of objects in Spades were made of metal, but that was probably because the Kingdom was closely tied with Diamonds. Another thing Alfred noticed was that there were a great number of circular dials with edges sticking out, and it often fit into another dial's wedges. This way, when one moved so did the other, creating a spinning mass of dials which most of the time made some type of reaction.

He tried not to act too shocked whenever an unfamiliar object suddenly came to life next to him- which happened more often than not- but one of the servants usually took the time to explain to him what the thing was and what it did. No one seemed to mind helping him get used to the surroundings; they explained to him that most of the country folk were unused to the technology in the Castle and Capital Town*. Toris had been right when he had said that the people here were lively and helpful.

The few people who really didn't show any effort into getting to know Alfred were the Spades soldiers who had attacked the Hearts Triumvirate at the Gathering. They knew that Alfred was the enemy and didn't mind spending every opportunity they could to bother him.

On the sixth day and fifth night since Alfred had arrived in Spades, he found himself running along a dark corridor in the Castle. He had no idea where he was going- Toris wasn't with him- but he didn't really care either. All he wanted to do was escape from the sight of the soldiers who were chasing him; he had accidently bumped into two of them on the way to the Kitchen and they had decided that that was a good enough reason to pick a fight with him. And even though it was against his training, Alfred knew it was a bad idea to go up against two big hulks that could probably pin him down and punch him until he was knocked out senseless. So, he did the only thing he could do. Run.

Breathing heavily, Alfred took the chance to look back at his pursuers. They might have been bigger than him, but they defiantly not faster. Their footsteps were far away enough now that if he hid in a room, they would have no idea. He quickly looked around for a door- any door would do, as long as it wasn't locked- and found one down at the end of the hallway. Lowering his head and speeding up, he ran head first towards the door.

In his haste he crashed into the wood, slamming his shoulder against its surface. Pain shot up his arm, but he ignored it and twisted the knob several times only to find that the door would not budge. Alfred glanced back down the hallway and inwardly cursed when he heard the soldiers coming closer.

"Oh, Ace please help me." He whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned the handle.

The door swung inward and Alfred almost fell on his face in surprise. He automatically caught himself from falling and shut the door behind him. He was swallowed in darkness; there was no moonlight coming from the windows, if there were any, but a small beam of light came from the crack underneath the door. He heard the loud footsteps of the soldiers near his hiding place and pressed his back against the wood just in case they decided to enter.

"Where did he go?" one of them hissed.

"I don't know, do I?" the other mumbled. Alfred smirked; for Spades, they really weren't all that smart.

"Alright, I'll go to the left, you go right." The first said. "This guy is so annoying; thinks he's the King of the Castle. All high and mighty because he comes from-"

"Shh, you don't want the whole palace to hear! If we tell anyone, we're dead! Dead I tell ya! Don't you remember what the Queen said when we brought him in?"

"Of course I do!" the first snapped. "I don't understand what the Queen is thinking! What is he planning to do with that traitor-?"

"Doesn't matter. Just because we can't expose 'im doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun tormenting the sucker. Go right, I'll go left."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going…"

Alfred held his breath as the two walked away, their footsteps echoing and slowly disappearing. Then he slowly lowered himself to the floor, leaning his back against the door. He closed his eyes again- even though it didn't really make difference sight wise- and breathed through his nose. Would he ever be able to have a normal life here? He didn't belong in Spades, but then again according to the whole Wild Card thing Prussia had said, he didn't belong in Hearts either. No matter how hard he tried convincing himself otherwise, he really had no place where he could belong.

Sighing, he opened his eyes to blackness. He tried to feel around for a candle or a match to light up the room, but instead he saw a dim glow coming directly from his pockets. He quickly shoved his hand in the pockets and pulled out the Spades watch. He stared at it, frowning. It was shining light, but for some reason it didn't pull him into the past or the future like it normally did. Instead it was giving off a pleasant glow that illuminated the area around it. It was almost as if it was trying to help him or something.

Alfred was hesitant about using the watch. Ever since his conversation with Rica- whom he had visited several times since their first meeting- he had been avoiding taking it out or even looking at it. If the watch really was Washington, and if Arthur ever found out he had it, he would be thrown into the dungeons for all eternity. But he had never found a safe place to store it.

He held up the watch and let its light fall onto the rest of the room.

The room was much larger than he would have thought, sitting in the dark. It was the size of the bottom floor of one of the village houses, but without any of the walls. At one end was a sitting area with couches and cushiony chairs, which turned into a sun room lined with mirrors and curtains, and then flowed into a working area of bookcases filled with volumes of paper and a dark mahogany wood desk. It was a beautiful place, and Alfred was sure that it would be even more so in the sunlight. But why would such a nice room like this have a layer of dust over everything? It looked as if no one had been in here for a while, yet the entire room was scattered with papers and private instruments.

Alfred shakily stood up and walked around. He was careful not to step on anything; he felt as if he was intruding on something personal, like a person's bedroom. He stepped onto a raised platform in the sunroom area and pulled back the curtains. Immediately moonlight flooded the room, revealing a whole wall covered with windows that stretched all the way to the ceiling. He gaped at the scenery out of the windows, which overlooked a beautiful valley filled with flowers. He had never seen something so breathtaking yet so alone at the same time.

Suddenly, he felt the exhaustion of the past day catch up with him, and he stumbled over to the couch. He collapsed onto the cushion and rested his chin on pillow. Then he stared out at the valley, quietly thinking.

Whoever this place had belonged to, it was someone of high status. Anyone could tell that by looking around and seeing how expensive some of the fabrics were. But at the same time, nothing here had been touched in a long time. So that meant the person here had either died or had never bothered to come back. And maybe they never would.

Alfred looked back down at the watch- which was still glowing- and smiled. He had just found a place to hide the watch. He would have to remember where this room was exactly though, which might be a problem. Maybe he could ask Toris-

The watch started to glow brighter at that moment, and Alfred stared at it with alarm. He scrambled over to pick it up and saw that the hands on its face were spinning madly as if being powered by some unknown substance. The sapphire jewels were giving off an unnatural blue light, and the entire clock was pulsing like it was a heart instead of a piece of cold metal.

Alfred panicked. What was going on? Why was the watch acting like this? It had never done anything like this before; did it have something to do with the room, or the fact that he was in Spades now instead of Hearts? He hadn't had another vision since the Gathering- and in all honesty, he really didn't want another one either- but was this a vision? Or was it something else, something more powerful?

"Oh, Ace." Alfred whispered as the light intensified, illuminating the entire room with a harsh blue beam.

He clutched the watch to his chest, hoping that the light would be covered up, and shut his eyes.

There was a flash, and Alfred felt a gust of hot air rush through his hair and tug at his clothes. He grimaced and tightened his hold on the Eternal Implement in his hand, wishing that whatever was going on would just end.

Abruptly, the light disappeared and then there was nothing.

-o0o-

"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."  
>Charles Dickens<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(Spanish) Si- yes

Por favor- please

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***In every Kingdom, there are a number of villages and towns, some of the more prosperous ones even have castles. However, the largest and most grand of these are the Capital Towns, which surround the Kingdom's Royal Castle. The most business and productivity goes on in these Towns because of this and many citizens travel there to make money for their families.**


	11. Chapter 10, Spades Castle

**3/23/2012 **

**So tired right now…but at least I got another chapter out. To my reviewers, alerters, readers and other wonderful people who enjoy this story: I love you all. I know I don't reply to my reviewers, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate every single one of you. Thank you all so much.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

The images were more like flashes of multicolored light; barely slowing down enough for Alfred to catch a glimpse of what it was before blurring into another scene. They were quick, fast, each so different from each other that he felt dizzy just trying to concentrate on what he was seeing.

He was standing on a lonely hill at night. A short man in white stood with his back to Alfred, staring at a small town illuminated by the moonlight. He had black hair that was cut sharply at his ears and dark eyes as cold as stone. Alfred gasped when he recognized the person and reached out a hand.

"Kiku-!"

The wind picked up, howling around Alfred and he had to cover his head with his hands. When he opened his eyes he was inside once again, surrounded by peach colored walls on four sides. The only other person there was a woman crouching down on her knees. She had fiery red hair pulled into a tight bun- even though several strands were escaping the band holding it back- and was watching a clock so large that it came up to her knees. She turned and looked directly at Alfred. He froze and his eyes went wide as her cold blue gaze bore into his.

"Elizabeth!" a voice called from behind a door. She turned at the sound of the man's voice, and the instant their gaze broke, the scene changed again.

Now he was in a stone fortress and coldness hung in the air like a plague. Tortured sobbing noises came from a man lying on the floor. He was clutching another person- a woman- who was not moving. She was unnaturally pale, and her peaceful expression was too calm to be considered normal. A blonde haired child no older than five watched the man with terrified green eyes and his small frame shook-

The stones blurred together before turning into the locked room he had run into earlier. Sunlight pored through the windows onto a man sitting on the desk. He had white hair pulled back into a pony tail, and wrinkled hands that covered his face. In front of him was paper with a long list of words written in English-

Alfred was in Alhliða again, in the middle of the courtyard where he had last seen Arthur before everything had gone downhill. Instead of the fountain, there was a large table cast into shadows by the nearby trees. Men surrounded the courtyard, all carrying weapons of some kind, and were watching the four men who surrounded the table. Two were wearing official clothes of blue and grey while the others were adorned with scarlet and red.

"No, I refuse to accept this!" one of the blue snapped, slamming a fist down on the table. He had messy blonde hair and bright green eyes- wait, that was Arthur!

Alfred quickly approached the four men, gaping when he recognized the other three in addition to the Queen of Spades. Yao was next to Arthur, his expression stony, and across from them were Kiku and Ludwig. Ludwig looked as if he was ready to slice Arthur's head off, while Kiku's face was as blank as a sheet of unmarked paper. Alfred looked back and forth between to the two opposing sides with a frown. What was going on? Why were they all meeting here?

"I cannot agree to this," Arthur continued to say. "If you want to avoid a war between Hearts and Spades, you will have to come up with something better than this." He waved his hand over the sheets of parchment in front of them.

"We cannot offer you any more than we already have." Ludwig responded. "This deal gives you considerable leverage over Hearts. If you refuse, I would suggest starting to prepare your army for battle because I will not give anything more to Spades than what you have already taken."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Are you seriously prepared to go up against the most intelligent Kingdom of all the Suits?"

"Are you prepared to go up against the most militaristic Kingdom of all the Suits?" Ludwig challenged.

Arthur glowered, but said nothing. Yao tensed next to his Queen as Kiku stared at Arthur, his gaze never wavering. Neither of them had said anything in the time Alfred had been standing there, but he had a pretty good guess at what Kiku was thinking; he had never seen his friend so furious in his entire life.

"Consider your options, Queen of Spades." Ludwig finally said, leaning away from the table. "Think about the number of innocent people that will die if our Kingdoms go to war, and then when you have considered all of your choices, send us a letter. We will give you a month to respond." With that, he collected the papers that belonged to him and regarded the two Spades coolly before walking away.

"Tell Alfred that I said hello," Kiku said to Arthur, speaking for the first time. His tone was calm but there was a dark glimmer in his eyes that sent chills up Alfred's spine. "And that I will never stop trying to get him back home. He will return to Hearts, one way or another." The last sentence evidently had a threat woven into it, and Alfred was surprised by how much Kiku cared about him. Kiku had never been the affectionate type, even when they had been kids.

"We will just have to see about that, won't we?" Arthur said softly in reply. He raised his head so that he was looking down at Kiku instead of eye level. Kiku slightly narrowed his eyes, but didn't reply. Instead he turned to Yao.

"Yao," he said stiffly. Yao's expression soured but he nodded once. Kiku turned on his heal and followed after his King. Alfred looked back and forth between the two; did they know each other? Arthur and Yao waited until all of the Hearts had left the courtyard- including their soldiers- before starting to leave. Scowling, Arthur turned and stalked away from the table. Yao stared after the Hearts with a frown on his face for a minute before catching up to his Queen.

"You are not going to consider their deal, are you?" he asked.

"No," Arthur said coldly. "They get whatever hardships come their way. If I hadn't taken action when I did…well, we would be looking at a massacre."

Alfred blinked in surprise, shocked at what Arthur had said. What did he mean? Hearts had never acted violent towards Spades or any of the other Kingdoms, so why would he say something like that?

The courtyard tilted sideways, and the image blended into itself until all he could see was black. He turned around, searching for something, anything. He held up a hand in front of his face and was surprised that he could still see his body, if nothing else. So he hadn't gone blind at least, which had been his initial fear.

Alfred looked up at the darkness that surrounded him with a frown, and yelled, "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

"Alfred Jones." Came the immediate reply.

He whirled around to see a woman twice his height standing behind him. She was pale, her lips a light shade of blue. Her long hair surrounded her like a cocoon, and it was the color of dark sapphires. She had large silver eyes, with pupils of thin black ovals. Her skin glowed, as if powered by magic. Surrounded by the darkness around them, she looked like a strange ghost of some magical creature. The being was watching him with intense interest; she never once blinked.

Alfred felt the hair on his arms stand up as a thrill of fear coursed through him. He had never met anything like this in his whole life. What was she? And what did she want from him?

Then she reached out towards him, her long arms as white as the moon. His eyes widened and he took a step back. She frowned and lunged forward. Alfred let out a surprised cry when her hands clasped both of his cheeks, cradling his face. He was too shocked to pull away, so he let her examine him while he stared into her pixie like face. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she smiled, revealing a row of pointy teeth.

"You're him," she breathed. "I knew you would come. I knew it."

And before he could do anything to stop her, she leaned forward and pressed her cold lips to his.

Instantly, Alfred felt pain in his head. With a gasp he fell to his knees before the woman, clutching his forehead with both of his hands. Images of dead bodies, blood, fires, and a once strong city in ruins flashed through his mind and he started to shake uncontrollably as the woman leaned down in front of him. He glared at her through teary eyes.

"What did you do to me?" he whispered. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Shh, relax soldier." She placed a finger to his mouth, stopping him from speaking. "I do not wish to harm you. All will be revealed in time, I promise you this." Her figure started to blur, and Alfred started to panic.

"Wait!" he cried. "Don't go!" Even if the girl freaked him out to no end, he hated the dark. He would rather her stay than leave him alone.

"We will meet again, Alfred Jones." Her voice echoed inside of his head.

The next thing he knew, he was staring at the ceiling of the locked room he had been in earlier before the visions. Sunlight poured through the windows and straight into his eyes. He winced and slowly sat up. It was morning; he could hear the birds in the meadow outside the window. Something cold weighed down his hand and he looked down to see the pocket watch in his palm.

Alfred scowled. Really, this thing was more trouble than it was worth sometimes.

-o0o-

"Are you alright, Alfred?" Toris asked later that day in Town.

Alfred stopped rubbing his eyes and looked up at his friend. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." He tried to smile but it turned out looking more like a grimace.

"Bad dream?" Toris sympathized. Alfred nodded.

"Several, actually." He said miserably. After he had woken up he had somehow managed to stumble around the Castle until he found Toris, but he felt like he hadn't slept at all last night. He was exhausted and was trying not to let it affect his mood, but failing terribly.

"What were the dreams about?" Rica chirped beside him. She had seen them passing the clothing store on the way to the food market and had decided to follow them around the marketplace.

"A bunch of weird things," Alfred said, trying to keep it general.

He picked up a fruit and examined it for bruises before placing it in a bag around his neck. They were getting food for the Kitchens so that the cooks would be prepared to make a large meal for the Triumvirates when they returned. It had been a while since Arthur and Yao had left- nearly a week- and everyone was excited to greet them back to the Castle. What they had been doing the entire time was a mystery, but no one seemed worried. Alfred thought back to his visions with a frown. He had seen Arthur and Yao meeting with the Triumvirate of Hearts, was that where they had gone? To Alhliða try and settle matters with Hearts before returning to Spades?

"Hey, Toris?"

"Mmm?" the servant looked back at Alfred from a pile of cloth.

"Have you ever heard of someone named Elizabeth?" Alfred asked. Maybe he could find out some of the answers to the questions he had floating in his brain instead of sulking for the rest of the day.

Toris frowned. "Are you talking about Elizaveta; the Queen of Clubs?"

"No." Alfred said. "It's Eliza_beth_- not veta." He and Rica trailed after Toris as the servant moved down the street.

"Well, there are quite a lot of Elizabeths in Spades; it is an English name." Toris said. "Can you be a bit more specific?"

"Um, well the Elizabeth I'm talking about has blue eyes and red hair. Lots of red hair, and it was really curly and hard to control. She was tall too- like my height." Alfred described, trying to remember as much as he could about the strange woman. He wasn't one hundred percent sure, but he almost thought that she could _see _him even though it was a vision. No one had ever done that before, and he wanted to know why she had been able to of all people.

"Are you talking about the Queen?" Rica suggested.

"What? No, Elizabeth is a girl's name-"

"Queen Elizabeth of England." Toris clarified. "She ruled a few generations before the present day Royals and had one of the longest and most prosperous reins in all of Spades history. She sounds a lot like the person you described. Why do you ask?"

"I saw a picture in the Castle," Alfred made up randomly. God, he had to get this lying thing under control; he felt guilty about lying to the people who had befriended him. "And she had this large clock thing next to her."

"That would make sense. The clock would be London- the Queen's Eternal Implement."

"So…the present day England has the clock too?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, the same one." the servant confirmed. "No one knows where he keeps it though."

Alfred clenched his hand into a fist at his side. Like he really needed something else to complicate his life. Did this mean that Arthur would be able to somehow see him if Alfred happened to have a vision of him? If so then why didn't he notice Alfred in the vision with the other Triumvirates? Was it because he didn't have the clock with him?

"The present day Queen is actually a descendent of Elizabeth," Toris continued on thoughtfully. "People expect a lot from him. It's a lot of pressure."

"Yeah, poor thing." Alfred said sarcastically and Toris gave him a chastise look.

"You don't like the Queen?" Rica asked, her brow furrowed.

Alfred shrugged.

"But you've never even met him! How can you just judge him like that?" Rica said, sounding more confused than defensive.

"I don't like his decisions as Queen." Alfred said flatly. That much was true at least. Arthur hadn't been hesitant at all to threaten Feli in order to capture Alfred.

Rica opened her mouth to question him more, but Toris cut in quickly much to Alfred's relief.

"Do you have anything else you want to know about? Because as much as I enjoy talking, we do need to hurry and go back to the Castle." He looked so distressed that the other two started to laugh.

"Only you would actually _try_ while doing this kind of stuff, Toris." Alfred said with a grin. "But, yeah, I actually do I have another question."

"Alright, what is it?" Toris crossed his arms.

"In my dream I saw this other woman-" he started to say.

"Jeesh, Al, how many girls do you look at?" Rica joked with a smirk and Toris chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny." Alfred rolled his eyes. "But seriously, guys, this girl was weird. She was tall, pale and had really long blue hair and silver eyes. She didn't look…human."

The smile fell off of Toris' face and he suddenly looked worried. "Can you repeat that one more time?"

"Uh, yeah. She was tall- like, unnaturally tall. At least double my height- and she had super long hair-"

"What color hair?" Toris interrupted.

"Dark blue; like sapphires. And sliver eyes with pupils like a cat's."

"And you saw her in your dream?" Toris asked. His expression was putting Alfred on edge, and even Rica's eyes had widened.

"Yeah, is there something wrong?" Alfred looked back and forth between the two, a bad feeling settling in his stomach.

Toris hesitated. "Well, the way you're describing her…"

"It sounds like you're talking about the Ace." Rica finished uncomfortably.

Alfred gaped at the pair, not believing what they were telling him. The _Ace_ of _Spades_? How was that even possible? Aces were…well, that was the problem, wasn't it? No one knew exactly what they were- not human, that was for sure- but the best word to describe them was spirits. Spirits that represented each Kingdom respectively. They were mentioned in the old legends several times for their enjoyment to meddle in human affairs, but they had disappeared from the books a while ago and they had not been mentioned since. It was rumored that the Triumvirates could see them, and that their Eternal Implements had been made by each Kingdom's Ace, but that's all they were. Rumors. It had never been proved that it was true or not, and Kiku had never mentioned Heart's Ace, so Alfred never bothered asking. He figured that if it was something important, Kiku would've talked to him about it.

But now, now he was in Spades and their Ace had shown up in his dreams. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Was it because he was the Wild Card?

"Alfred, are you sure you weren't just imagining things?" Toris asked. "Maybe it wasn't the Ace you saw, maybe it was something else. You were sleeping, after all."

"It didn't feel like it was a dream though," Alfred said. "I mean, she _kissed_ me. I think I would remember something like that."

"Wait- she did- what? She kissed you?" Rica shrieked. Toris shot her a warning glare to be quiet.

"Yes. Her lips were cold; it was so weird…" he muttered, frowning.

"You should go talk to the Triumvirate." Rica said. "Stuff like that doesn't happen every day; they need to know if someone saw the Ace! Maybe this is a sign, Alfred! Maybe this is supposed to tell you something."

Alfred was unimpressed. "Oh, yeah? Like what other than I'm being stalked by some thousand year old spirit with enough magical power to kill me in my sleep?"

"Think about it," Rica said, lowering her voice. "Triumvirates are the only people who get to see the Aces-"

"Those are rumors." Toris said.

"- but then suddenly a mysterious servant sees the Ace of a Kingdom that has gone on without a King for years?" Rica continued, ignoring Toris. "That's not normal. What if the Ace is trying to send you a message? What if she wants you to be the next King of Spades?"

"No." Alfred said flatly and Rica's face fell. "It's impossible." He turned away from her and started to walk in the direction of the Castle. Rica and Toris glanced at each other for a second before following the gold haired teenager.

"Why? Why is it impossible?" she asked when they had caught up, staring at him while Alfred glared straight ahead.

"It just is. I can't become King." He refused to look at her, annoyed. Spades wasn't his home, he didn't belong here. He couldn't become King of Spades any more than his old friend in Hearts, Roger, could.

"Can't you at least tell me why you think-?"

"Rica, Alfred is not of noble blood." Toris said in an effort to fend her off. He knew the truth about Alfred and why he couldn't become King. "And only those in the hierarchy have the money to train their children to even be considered as the King." They turned the last corner to see the hut with the fence that connected the Town to the Castle.

"But still-!" Rica made one last attempt to make an argument.

"You're being overdramatic." Toris said, faking a smile and placing a hand on her shoulder. "If the King has not been discovered by now, there is an unlikely chance that he or she will ever be found. Besides, Queen Arthur and Jack Yao have done an excellent job of running Spades. We do not need a King right now. Goodbye, Rica. We will visit again soon." With that he squeezed her shoulder once before disappearing into the brush.

"Bye, Rica." Alfred gave her a departing hug, leaving the girl shocked that she had been left so quickly and darted after Toris.

"That was close," Alfred said when they were out of ear shot.

"Too close," Toris agreed. "We need to steer away from subjects like that with her; she is far too intelligent and curious to keep at bay for long."

"I know," Alfred said with a grimace. "I'll try to be more careful from now on." They struggled up the steps that lead to the servant entrance into the Castle, carrying the supplies they had gathered from the Town.

"Did you mean what you said?" Toris asked, his breathing labored.

"About the whole Ace thing? Of course, I didn't lie if that's what you mean."

"What was it like, meeting the Ace?"

"To be honest, it was as scary as hell, dude. She looked like a freaking ghost or something, and do you know how scared I am of ghosts? It's not even funny, she was all pale and creepy and ugh." Alfred shuddered while Toris laughed.

"Are we going to tell England and China that I saw her, though?" Alfred asked.

"I'm not sure," Toris said. He looked worried and unsure of what to do. "The way you described her certainly sounds like the Ace from what I have read in the old legends, but then again it was a dream. What you imagined could have been anything, and I highly doubt that the Queen will appreciate us telling him that you saw the Ace without significant evidence."

"So, no telling then?"

"At least for now; the Triumvirate has not even returned from their trip, we should probably wait a bit before-"

"The Triumvirate of Spades is not here?" a high pitched voice called out in Hoppípollan.

Alfred and Toris turned to see two fair haired nobles standing to their left. Each had bright blue eyes and bangs, but the smaller one was a girl and the taller was a boy; probably siblings. The girl wore a simple tan dress while a dark bow rested in her blonde hair and she carried a cluster of light yellow flowers in her hands. The boy's clothes were much more vibrant; bright orange vest and pants with a cap to match. A cane of some kind was tightly gripped in one hand.

Alfred and Toris shared a confused glance. What the heck? Who were these people?

"Uh, no. They are not." Toris said. "May I help you two with something? You don't look like you quite belong here."

"Ah, I apologize." The girl said, blushing. "I am Lili and this is my older brother, Vash." She waved a hand at her brother who regarded the two with distrust. "We are the Queen and Jack of Diamonds."

Alfred almost dropped his bag in surprise and Toris' eyes bulged.

"Your Highness, forgive me for my rudeness." Toris apologized quickly and bowed his head slightly. Alfred hurried to follow his example although he didn't understand what the Triumvirate of Diamonds was doing in Spades.

"Oh, its fine, its fine, please don't apologize!" Lili said, getting more flustered. "_I'm_ sorry for interrupting your conversation! It's just…" she looked back at her brother for a moment and he nodded.

"Vash and I got separated from our King, France, and we got lost." She admitted. "Would you two mind helping us find the way to the Throne Room? You are the first two servants we have stumbled upon and it would be wonderful if you could just show us how to get there-?"

"Of course," Toris said with another bow. "It would be no trouble at all. Please, follow me."

"Thank you so much!" she smiled at them and followed them into the Castle.

-o0o-

The Throne Room was one of the few important rooms in the Castle that Toris had not shown Alfred yet. So while leading Lili and Vash, Alfred tried as best he could to look like he knew where he was going and stayed close to Toris' side.

He wanted to talk to Toris and ask him if he knew why the Triumvirate of Diamonds was in Spades, but he was afraid that the two walking behind them would overhear. Instead he kept his mouth shut, sneaking glances at the Diamonds over his shoulder. Lili would always give him a small, but bright, smile. Vash on the other hand glared at him with a scowl. Obviously the over possessive brother type. Defiantly.

Toris stopped in front of a large wooden door that reached all the way up to the ceiling. Despite its size, the door was extremely light weight and opened easily. A thin royal blue carpet led to two large thrones covered in jewels and velvet. On either side were rows of chairs, probably for the other Royals in Spades. And in the middle of the room were two men- one was a servant who had just finished attending to yet another fair haired noble in yellow and orange.

It was the King of Diamonds, Francis Bonnefoy.

Alfred started at the realization, surprised but not entirely shocked. Arthur had been the Queen of Spades, so why couldn't Francis be the King of Diamonds? It made perfect sense now, the little snide comments that the two had shared during the Gathering among other things.

Lili rushed past him- a blur of soft gold- running straight towards her King. Francis turned at the last second and caught her in his arms, crushing her in a tight embrace. She laughed as he swung her around in a wide circle, lifting her easily because of her size and weight. Alfred was surprised; he didn't think that Francis' personality would go well with Lili's, but then again they had the United Bond. They would work well together no matter what simply because they were the King and Queen.

"Francis!" Lili said when he put her down. "Where were you? We were hopelessly lost!" she waved a hand towards Vash and he walked forward to join them, while Alfred and Toris waited awkwardly to the side in case the Royals needed anything else.

"Oh? Well, _mon cher_, perhaps you should have not gone off on your own then, hmm?" he smiled fondly at her and took out a woven circle of flowers from his pocket. He gently placed it upon her head, like a crown, and she reached up to touch them with the tips of her fingers. Her face broke out into another smile.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." She said.

Francis bowed low. "Only the best for my Queen." He said cheerfully and she giggled.

"However, there is a problem." He said as he straightened, this time addressing both the Queen and Jack.

"What is it?" Vash spoke for the first time, sounding as serious as he looked.

"Arthur and Yao are not here, I am afraid." Francis said with a disappointed sigh. "They are out on some mysterious trip and the date of their return is unknown."

"Oh, yes. We heard." Lili said. "Too bad, isn't it? We came all this way for nothing…"

"_Quoi_?" Francis frowned. "How did you learn this before I did?"

"Ah, the two servants who brought us here told us." Lily turned around until she spotted Toris and Alfred. "There they are. Thank you again for your help."

Francis raised his eyebrows when he spotted Alfred standing there; he obviously recognized him from the Gathering. He felt Toris stiffen next to him.

"Would you mind coming over here, _s'il vous plait_?" he held out his hand towards the teenager, beckoning him to come closer. Alfred walked up to Francis without hesitation, ignoring the brief warning tug on his sleeve from Toris. He was Alfred Jones of Hearts; he wanted to show the King of Diamonds that he wasn't some idiot who would hesitate or shy away just because he was Royalty.

Lili and Vash moved away so that Alfred could stand in front of the King. Francis studied him with an unreadable expression, his gaze lingering on Alfred's blue eyes and golden brown hair. Alfred responded by standing a bit straighter and lifting his chin. For a moment, he almost felt like he was back in military training, but he quickly rejected the memory.

If Francis saw the regret in Alfred's eyes, he didn't mention it. Instead the look on his face softened slightly.

"You are Alfred Jones, correct?" he asked, his voice thick with a French accent.

"Yes."

"Have we met before? You look very familiar."

Alfred shrugged. If he couldn't remember him from the Gathering, it would be all the better.

"Ah, yes. Now I remember!" Francis said, clapping his hands together. "You were at the Gathering, were you not? With Arthur, no? I did not think you were a Spade."

"Ha ha, yeah." Alfred smiled weakly. He wasn't sure how to respond exactly. Should he tell Francis why he was here? Or did Arthur want to be the one who told Francis that it was his fault why Spades and Hearts were at each other throats?

Francis tilted his head to the side, as if bothered by a strange question, and reached out to touch Alfred's face.

The sound of a slamming door shocked all of them, but more surprising was the loud BANG and silver bullet that followed, barely missing Francis' outstretched hand.

"What. Are you doing here, Frog?" a cold voice said from the door.

Alfred turned around to see Arthur standing in the doorway to the Throne Room, still in traveling clothes, and holding a smoking gun. His green eyes were narrowed and his blonde hair was windswept- probably from riding. Yao emerged over the Queen's shoulder a second later, looking wary.

"Arthur!" Francis purred, drawing his hand away from Alfred. "Just the man I wanted to see."

Arthur strode forward, his boots making muffled clicking noises as he stalked down the blue carpet. Alfred felt a thrill of fear as the Royal neared. What was Arthur going to do to him? He had done everything Arthur had asked. He had kept out of trouble. Why did he look so angry-?

In one fluid motion, Arthur swept past Alfred and pushed the teenager behind him, protectively standing between Francis and Alfred. Alfred stumbled only a little, still surprised enough to let the Queen move him away from the King of Diamonds without putting up much resistance.

"Do. Not. Touch. Him." Arthur growled. Alfred could only see Arthur's back, be he could imagine the dangerous glare Francis was receiving. It made him wonder if Arthur had purposefully shot the gun so that the bullet would scare Francis away from Alfred. Either that, or it was an extremely lucky shot.

"And why is that? Is it because he is part of the reason why Spades and Hearts are close to declaring war?" Francis questioned. For the first time anger was evident in his tone and rage flashed in his eyes. "I have heard the rumors spreading through the land."

"The boy is valuable," Arthur admitted and Alfred scowled. Why was he being treated like some fragile human flower or something? He was warrior, not a glass artifact!

"You know I am not ready for a war, Arthur." Francis seethed. "Especially one of this magnitude. What did you do this time? Did you steal something again?"

"It is none of your concern!" Arthur snapped. Yao, who was standing next to him, responded to his anger by reaching for a long sword dangling on his belt. Lili and Vash also were gripping the objects in their hands tighter as well. This was going downhill, and fast.

"We have an alliance; everything you do is of my concern! I can only do so much for you and Spades but you must give _something_ back-"

"Ah, Your Royal Highnesses!" Toris interrupted from behind them, effectively breaking the tense atmosphere. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at him.

"Perhaps you would like to continue your conversation in private?" he suggested. Alfred admired his bravery and grinned at his friend.

The Royals had calmed down a bit, and they all backed away from each other. The peaceful air returned, much to everyone's relief. Arthur turned his head slightly and he locked gazes with Alfred for a moment before Francis began to speak again.

"I agree with your servant, Arthur. Is there someplace we may talk without interference?" he drew an arm around Lili as he spoke, bringing the girl close to his side. She leaned on him happily. Arthur watched the two with a slight frown, but didn't comment.

"Yes. Please, this way." Arthur made a sweeping motion with his arms, gesturing for the Triumvirate to head out a door to the left of the thrones.

"Leave this room immediately," he said in a hushed whisper to Toris. "Make sure the two of you stay busy for a while; I don't want you to ever be alone with a person like Francis ever again, understand?" Arthur demanded, glaring at Alfred suddenly. "He could make you agree to something I don't want you to or he could trick you into revealing some information about Spades. Do not talk to him alone, even if Toris is with you."

"I can talk to whoever I want!" Alfred hissed. "You don't own me-!"

Arthur grabbed a fistful of Alfred's front shirt and dragged him down so that they were eye level. All defiance inside of him disappeared in place of fear and all Alfred could focus on was Arthur's deadly serious green eyes.

"As a matter of fact," the Queen breathed. "You'll find that I _do_ own you. You are my prisoner, therefore I decide on what you can and cannot do. Do not disobey me, Alfred. You will regret it." With that, he released the teenager- pushing Alfred away from him roughly- and strode after the Diamonds without looking back.

Alfred inwardly cursed at Arthur's retreating figure. How could he be such an ass all of the time? Didn't people get sick of him? Where was this caring considering Arthur that Toris had mentioned before?

"Ah, actually, I must do something before we go." Francis said, pausing at the doorway.

"What is it, Frog?" Arthur spat, obviously not in a good mood. But then again, when was he ever in a good mood?

"Alfred. Please come here, there is someone I want to introduce you to." Francis held out his hand to Alfred, surprising them all. Alfred shot a frightened look at Toris who stared back with wide eyes, but offered no advice. Disobeying a direct order from a King, even if it wasn't your own, could get a person into serious trouble. So, he did as was asked and slowly walked forward. Arthur automatically tensed again, and grabbed onto Alfred's sleeve when he reached them.

"Not so fast. What is this all about, Francis?"

"Nothing, I just thought the boy might like to meet his brother." Francis said innocently. Alfred's jaw flew open and he gaped at the King of Diamonds. Francis smiled sweetly and called out, "Canada, would you mind coming out?"

The door in front of them creaked open slowly, and a pale hand appeared. Arthur's grip tightened, but Alfred refused to tear his gaze away from the door. His heart was beating unnaturally fast, and questions were running through his mind at the speed of light. Brother? What did Francis mean? Alfred had been abandoned in the street with no relatives or names to go by. But, what if…what if he had been alone because his brother had grown up in a different Kingdom? That would make sense why they had never been able to contact each other until now. But, still. Even that was unlikely. What if Francis was lying? What if Alfred really had no brother?

All of these questions ran through his mind in those few quick seconds before 'Canada' entered the room. But as soon as Alfred saw him, all of his questions flew right out of his head, and his mind went blank.

Standing in front of Alfred was an exact copy of himself. Well, almost an exact copy; this doppelganger had wavy creamy hair and indigo eyes in comparison to his own choppy gold bangs and sapphire blue orbs. There were two thin sheets of glass attached together by a thin wire resting on the bridge of his nose, and he was wearing the colors of the Diamonds. They could pass as the same person, with few alterations.

"Alfred Jones," Francis said, clearing his throat. "Meet Matthew Williams; your twin brother."

-o0o-

"I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking."  
>Franklin D. Roosevelt<p>

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(French) Mon cher- my dear

Quoi- what

s'il vous plait- please


	12. Chapter 11, Spades Castle

**4/13/2012 **

**So, the main thing I've learned from all of this is that a LOT of people like Matthew. Well that's…good. I guess. I mean, I like him too. Canada's awesome (both the character and the country)!**

**I probably could have split this chapter up into two pieces, but I decided against it. It's long for a reason. As a warning, I haven't edited this chapter yet because I'm lazy and stuff, so there's probably a ton of mistakes. Please correct me if I wrote something wrong. Also, the point of view in this chapter skips around quite a bit. It should be easy enough to figure out who's telling the story though. Anyways, onward with the story!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

The so called 'Matthew Williams' lasted about three seconds after Francis made the announcement before passing out.

His dark blue eyes rolled back before closing, and he fell forward with no warning. Alfred automatically lurched towards him and caught Matthew in his arms before he hit the floor face first. Together they slid down onto the cold floor, Alfred clutching the person in his arms that was supposedly his twin. He didn't have time to panic before Francis was beside them. He gently pushed Matthew's head back and placed a hand in front of his mouth to make sure he was still breathing.

"Is he alright?" Lili asked. Alfred looked up to find the Queen leaning over them, her hands clutching at the bouquet again. Her expression was genuinely worried, which surprised him. Matthew must be close to the Triumvirate if both the King and Queen reacted in such a way.

After a tense second, Francis nodded. Alfred, Lili, and even Toris breathed a sigh of relief. Vash, Arthur and Yao on the other hand remained impassive as ever.

"It is alright," Francis said and stood up. "He just fainted."

With another scowl, Arthur said, "He sees his twin for the first time after how many years and the first thing he does is faint?"

Francis glared at Arthur. "Don't be so quick to judge, _mon ami_. How would you feel if you suddenly discovered you had one last family member to cherish?"

Alfred felt his stomach flip. 'One last family member'? Did that mean that his mother and father were dead? A wave of emotion threatened to overtake him, and he quickly looked back down at Matthew to hide his expression. There was no point in showing weakness to these people. It would only be used against him here.

"In case you forgot, none of my family members would care enough if to cherish me." Arthur was saying harshly. "My family is a broken locket; cold and useless. But I suppose these two would be different, wouldn't they?" He stared down at Alfred with a frown. Alfred didn't meet his gaze, instead holding Matthew closer to him than before.

"Toris," Arthur said, turning to the servant. "Please help Alfred bring Matthew to the Medical Ward and make sure that he's alright. Then return to your normal duties, but please leave Alfred with his brother. I can trust Matthew to stay with Alfred, correct?" he asked Francis.

"Of course." Francis replied coolly. "Matthew can always be trusted, no matter the situation."

"Your love for him blinds your judgment." Arthur said with the same level of coldness. "But, please. Let us continue."

He gestured towards the now adjacent door, and after one last glance at Matthew, Francis exited the room. Lili floated after him and Vash after her. Yao- who had not uttered a single word yet- stalked away from the twins and Toris, and then finally Arthur. The door clanged loudly behind them. Only after they had all left did Alfred attempt to stand up. He struggled until Toris moved forward to pull Matthew up. They were able to balance the unconscious Diamond between the two of them, an arm around each shoulder. Together they stumbled out of the Throne Room through the entrance doors.

"This guy is your twin?" Toris asked, breathing heavy.

"I guess," Alfred huffed. "I've never heard of him before, but we look similar enough."

"Really? Well, I don't think you two look that much similar. Or act anything alike for that matter."

Alfred snorted. "We're _twins_, Toris; of course we look alike. Don't try to pretend otherwise. And we're gonna act different too because we were raised in two separate Kingdoms. We're not going to be the same person no matter what we look like." Alfred said, somewhat annoyed. If Matthew and him were going to get mixed up now because of their looks, his life was going to get more frustrating than it already was, if that was possible.

"No, that's not what I meant," Toris said with a breathless laugh. "What I mean is that he fainted while you caught him; you're strong, both physically and emotionally where he- as far as I have seen- is not. Even in looks he's like the washed out version of you."

Alfred frowned but considered what Toris had said. He didn't know Matthew well enough to confirm the other's words, but from what he had seen, he would agree with Toris.

They were turning down a hallway when Alfred recognized where they were. He glanced at the familiar pictures on the wall and then stared down the hallway to see the plain door he had run into the other night. Alfred grinned to himself as an idea popped into his head.

"Toris," he said. "Why don't you go get the people from the Medical Ward or whatever it is that England mentioned and bring some of them back here? I'll wait right here with Matthew until then."

"What?" Toris asked, confusion crossing his face. "But why-?"

"I honestly don't think we can continue to carry him like this, do you?" Alfred asked. "I mean, we're barely holding him up as it is." They both looked down at Matthew whose head lolled back and forth. The thin sheets of glass in front of his eyes were slipping down his nose and his clothes were looking more disheveled by the second.

"Alright, ok." Toris grumbled and together they struggled to place Matthew upright on a bench pressed against the wall. He fell sideways and Alfred quickly caught him again before he fell.

"Just- stay here. Don't go anywhere until I come back." Toris said. "If I come back here and you two are gone, both the Queen of Spades _and _the King of Diamonds will have my head."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "We'll stay in the hallway, Toris, don't worry. I can't carry him anywhere alone, remember?"

Toris pursed his lips, not looking totally won over. Eventually he nodded and walked briskly away from the pair, only glancing back once. Alfred smiled pleasantly at him when that happened and waved teasingly. Even at this distance, he could see Toris' affronted expression and laughed as the servant stalked away.

Finally alone with Matthew, Alfred quickly ran over to the door to make sure that it was still unlocked from the day before. He peered into the room and was relieved to see that no one else had disturbed it. Then he jogged back to Matthew and dragged him along the hallway and into the study.

Alfred propped Matthew on the couch before going back to shut the door. He ran around the three sections of the place- the sitting area with the couches and chairs, the study with the desk, and the window entrance area- and opened all of the windows he could. He breathed in a sigh of relief, enjoying the sound from the birds and the fresh air that drifted into the musty room. He glanced back at Matthew and was glad to find he was still passed out.

Alfred was proud of himself for having thought to bring Matthew here. He needed some privacy with his supposed brother and this was the perfect place to do it. No one would enter because no one knew that the door was unlocked, and the place really was peaceful with the whole flower valley scenery thing going on. The full length windows even opened so that you could go outside if you really wanted to. Yes, this was the perfect place to talk to Matthew, even if he was guilty for abandoning Toris. But they would return to the Castle life soon enough.

He quickly got bored however when he realized that Matthew wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Had seeing Alfred really scared him that much? Alfred took the time to explore the study- which he hadn't thought of doing before- first making sure that the pocket watch was still there hidden underneath a pile of books before wandering through the rest of the rooms. He was surprised to discover a pile of notebooks stacked in a corner near the bookcase. On the inside of the notebooks were letters, times of meetings, dates, lists all written in the same neat handwriting. Alfred turned to the cover of the book closest to him and found the initials 'SK' imprinted onto the thick leather.

Intrigued, he took a handful of the notebooks and went outside to the meadow. No way was he going to stay in a stuffy place like that until Matthew woke up. He sat down on the grass underneath a large tree and opened to the first page. And there he stayed for nearly an hour, waiting. Again. Well, at least this time he had something interesting to do.

-o0o-

Matthew Williams hated waking up after passing out. He had done it enough times to be used to it, but it was still a strange feeling when he came to his senses in an unfamiliar room with no ability to know how much time had passed between then and now.

This time was even worse because he wasn't in Diamonds anymore. He was in Spades, a place that he had visited many times but still did not know well enough to walk around on his own. Even now, as he stared at the light colored ceiling he felt dread start to settle in. He sat up and was surprised to find himself in some sort of private study, kind of similar to Francis' but not quite as flashy. Or as orange, for that matter.

He looked around the room anxiously. Where was he? How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was Francis introducing him to…to…. Matthew paled and the world spun slightly as he replayed his last few conscious seconds in his mind.

He had met his brother. His twin brother at that. And his name was Alfred, Alfred Jones. He had the same face as Matthew's, though tanner and more angular. He had the same eyes, too, Matthew remembered. But they were lighter and resembled the sky rather than the dark depths of Matthew's own indigo. And he was wearing Spades clothes. But that part hadn't made any sense to Matthew, if he remembered correctly.

Speaking of which, where was this brother of his? Matthew stood up, leaning against the couch for support, and looked around. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone. What was going on? Where were Francis and Lili? What had happened to Alfred? And why was the Queen of Spades so interested in protecting him?

He forced himself to stop thinking too far ahead and tried to focus on the birds' chirping instead. Matthew's head snapped up and he stared at the adjacent window a few feet away. The glass was flung open wide, and it was because of that he could hear the birds' song. Matthew walked shakily over to the window and searched the wide valley for a sign of the person who had brought him to the room. Within a few seconds he was able to spot the dark gold hair of his twin brother some distance off underneath an old. Matthew smiled and walked forward to join him.

When he finally reached Alfred, he was confused to see the enormous pile of books next to him. His brother was intently reading one of them in his lap as he leaned against the thick tree trunk for support. He didn't even notice Matthew's presence, even after he cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Alfred?" Matthew said quietly, not wanting to scare him. He reached out to gently touch Alfred's shoulder.

The other recoiled at the unexpected touch, gasping with surprise and slamming the book shut. Alfred's wide blue eyes stared at Matthew for a moment with fear before he recognized who he was.

"Oh thank Ace, it's just you." Alfred sighed with relief. He visibly relaxed and made to stand up.

Matthew took a step back saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you…"

"Nah, its okay." Alfred said with a wave of his hand. "I should've known it was you; who else would be here?"

Matthew frowned. "What do you mean? What happened to Francis and Lili? And where exactly is _here_?" For the first time he looked around the open meadow and wondered why he had never seen this place before. He had visited Spades on numerous occasions with the Triumvirate, and even if he couldn't find his way around alone, there were certain places he remembered. He felt like he would've remembered this place if he had ever been here.

"Ah, the Diamonds went with England and China to go talk over some political stuff- I think." Alfred said, scratching the back of his head. "Toris and me were supposed to bring you to the Medical Ward so they could make sure you were okay since you did faint and all. Do you do that a lot, by the way?" Alfred asked, surprising Matthew by abruptly changing the topic. "Because there's no way I'm going to be mistaken by you all of the time when you pass out and faint-"

"I don't faint a lot, alright!" Matthew glared at Alfred with annoyance. "It only happens when something shocking happens and I think seeing your twin brother would qualify as 'something shocking'!"

There was silence, and Matthew was satisfied at the guilty look on Alfred's face.

"Sorry," Alfred sighed. "That was kinda rude. Let's start over." He held his hand out to Matthew, determination flashing in his eyes. "I'm Alfred Jones. It's nice to meet you…?"

Matthew felt his own expression soften at his brother's words. He reached forward and grasped Alfred's hand.

"Matthew Williams," he said with a small smile and squeezed Alfred's hand. "My name is Matthew Williams."

Alfred's face screwed up. "Matthew? That's such a stuffy name."

"What?" Matthew asked, offended. "What do you mean?" He actually liked his name, and thought it fit him quite well.

"Well, it's just so…long." Alfred said. "And proper. Do you have a nickname or something I can call you instead?"

"No." He didn't want a nickname. Everyone called him Matthew and that's how he liked it.

"Then I'll just make one up for you. How about Matt?"

"No! That sounds silly."

"What? Why?" Alfred looked confused. "I think it sounds fine."

"Well _I_ don't." Matthew said. "Why do I need a nickname? I like my name just the way it is-"

"Fine, fine I'll just call you Mattie then." Alfred said with a disappointed sigh. "So, Mattie. What'cha been up to all these years? Do we still have parents or what? And why are you a Diamond?" Matthew frowned, but decided to let the nickname thing slide. It really wasn't important compared to everything else they were going to have to sort out about each other.

"I could ask you the same." Matthew said, folding his arms. "Why are you in Spades? Shouldn't you be in Hearts? And why is the Queen of Spades so focused on protecting you? Do you have something to do with the tension between Spades and Hearts?"

Alfred scowled, obviously unwilling to answer the questions. "I guess we both have stuff to discuss."

"So it would seem," Matthew replied, frowning. Another awkward moment of silence passed- neither wanting to be the first to talk- before Alfred spoke again.

"Ok, so obviously neither of us are really open to each other since we don't really know each other and all," Alfred said. "But since we _are_ brothers, I want this thing- whatever it is we have or will have- to work. I want to get to know you and I think I'm right in saying you want to get to know about me too. But in order for this to work, we need to be able to talk freely without worrying about the other freaking out and stuff, right?"

Matthew was surprised by Alfred's logical thinking, but found himself nodding to what his brother said. He wanted to be able to talk to Alfred and trust him; they were the only family each other had and he wanted Alfred to be the kind of person he could go to and confide in without being judged.

"Good, so how about we make a deal. We will both have the ability to ask the other any question we want, but the person answering has to respond honestly and truthfully. That way, we can both learn more about each other and we can slowly build up trust between us."

"That sounds great, actually." Matthew admitted. "But how will we know if the other is telling the truth or not? And how will I know that you won't go off and tell everyone you know what I've said?"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Do you seriously have secrets that bad? 'Cause if you're doing something illegal you should probably go turn yourself in or something-"

"No, no, no! It's nothing like that!" Matthew insisted, blushing furiously. "I just want to make sure you're not the kind of person who would do something like that after I trusted you."

"Well," Alfred said slowly. "I'm not that kind of person, but if you want reassurance we can swear on it."

"Swear on it?" he repeated warily.

"Yeah. Like, I, Alfred Jones, swear to not lie to you, Matthew Williams on any account." His brother said, holding up his left hand and placing the other on his heart. "I promise to answer you truthfully to any question you have and I will try my upmost to be there for you if you ever need my help. I will not talk to anyone about any information you have trusted me with unless I have your permission first. I swear to be honest with you, as long as you will do the same with me." His blue gaze bore into Matthew's, never wavering the entire time. Matthew felt something melt inside of him at Alfred's words and he found that he was truly ready to trust the teenager across from him even though they had only just met.

"I swear, too." Matthew said clearly. "I want this to work out just as much as you do, so I promise to hold true to the words you said. You have a deal, Alfred." He held out his hand again, and the pair shook, both sides grinning like fools.

"So, I think you have more questions than I do," Matthew said as they both sat down on the grass. "Do you want to go first?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Alfred said, pushing the notebooks he had been looking at before behind his back. "So. First things first; who are our parents? I want to know everything; don't you dare leave out a single detail. I assume you knew them, 'cause they never bothered to show up and introduce themselves to me."

Matthew heard the bitterness in his brother's voice and cringed inwardly. He didn't think his parents-well, technically it was _their_ parents now- had left Alfred alone in Hearts on purpose but he supposed that's what it would look like to anyone else who hadn't heard the story yet. He sighed heavily to himself.

"Well?" Alfred said. "You did know them, right?"

"Yes, I suppose, but I don't really know how to start." Matthew admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"How about their names?" Alfred suggested.

Matthew blinked, surprised. "Oh. Yes, that's right. Our mother's name was Victoria. Our father was Louis."

"Victoria and Louis? Aren't those names-?"

"English and French?" Matthew finished. "Yeah, they are. Or, were I guess. Mother was a Spade and Father was a Diamond."

Alfred's brow furrowed. "Really? But isn't it illegal to marry people from other Suits?"

Matthew turned slightly red but didn't respond, knowing Alfred would figure it out. Alfred stared at him for a while before it clicked.

"Oh," he said, his mouth falling open. "They weren't married."

Matthew flushed. "No, they weren't; they just worked together. They were given the same assignment and…well, I guess one thing led to another and…"

"And here we are." Alfred said somewhat numbly. Matthew grimaced at the look on his face.

"It's not that bad, really." Matthew said, trying to sound reassuring. "They were going to get married after we were born. But…"

His hesitation to continue seemed to bring Alfred out of his shock and he focused his gaze back onto Matthew. "But, what? Something happened, right? Or else you wouldn't be talking like that. What was it? What happened?"

Matthew looked away, not willing to see the expression on Alfred's face when he heard the truth. "Mother died shortly after we were born. They didn't know that she was having twins and there were some problems with the birth, and her body couldn't handle it. She died while holding us in her arms for the first time."

The silence was almost more than he could handle, and he had to turn to look back at Alfred as the moment dragged on. Alfred had gone white as a sheet and his eyes were wide and unblinking. He looked so shocked and distraught that Matthew needed to shake his arms roughly in order to force him out of his surprise.

"Alfred? Are you alright?" Matthew asked as Alfred's gaze refocused once more.

"Yes. I- I think so." He said, his voice shaking. "It's just…" he took a shuddering breath and then went into a monologue in an attempt to explain himself to Matthew. "When I was younger, I always thought about meeting my parents. That was like, my _dream_, you know? It was the one thing I really wanted. Everything else, I could deal with as long as I had that hope. Growing up in my town, it wasn't always fun or easy, but that was one of the few things I held on to so I could keep going. I always dreamt of meeting them, of having a family. But it was a mother what I really wanted to have, especially when I saw all of the other kids with their moms. I wanted to be loved and cared for like that instead of living on the streets where the only place I really had an obligation to go to was Military Training."

"You lived on the streets?" Matthew cut in. "You didn't have a family or someone who looked after you?" He felt guilt rush through him when he thought about how he had immediately been taken into the Bonnefoy household when all the meanwhile, his brother had been alone.

"No." Alfred said flatly. "Where I lived, you were expected hang in tight and deal with what life handed you. It was seen as building character or something stupid like that. I had friends, but that's all they were. But then…" his voice trailed off and he looked out at the field like he lost a train of thought.

"But then?" Matthew questioned.

"But then I met Kiku." Alfred said simply, and all of the tension drained from his face.

"Who's that?" Matthew asked, honestly curious. Whoever this Kiku person was, he had obviously been good to Alfred. He could tell just by the way Alfred's demeanor changed talked about him.

"Kiku is my best friend. My life got loads better after I met him." He smiled. "Everything was great after that. There was someone to look after me and I had someone to look after too. I didn't really think about my parents or how my life could've been as much. But it's still hard to hear that my mother's dead, even after all of these years." His face scrunched up again.

Matthew was quiet again, unsure of how to respond. He had known all his life about the fact that his mother was dead. He had accepted it a long time ago. He couldn't imagine how it must be for Alfred who had believed that his parents would one day come for him but then finding out that his mother was gone for good.

"What happened to our father?" Alfred finally asked.

This time Matthew watched Alfred as he carefully said, "He died too."

Alfred's reaction wasn't as strong as the last time, but Matthew saw his hand tighten into a fist briefly before relaxing.

"How? And when?"

"It was a long time ago, back when I was three. He died from an illness that was going around Diamonds at the time." He hesitated before saying, "I don't remember him at all, if it helps. Francis said that he mostly stayed in bed up until the time he died. He barely spoke after Mother died."

Alfred let out a short laugh. "Not really the heroic kind of death one would hope from their parents, huh?"

Matthew shrugged. "They were our parents. Our mother died giving birth to us and our father died trying to stay with us. Their deaths don't have to be heroic to mean something."

Alfred stared at him with blank surprise. Then his brow furrowed and he frowned, like he was trying to wrap his mind around what Matthew had just said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said. "But I'm still confused."

"About what?"

"If Mom was a Spade, and Dad a Diamond, why was I in Hearts? I mean, it makes sense that you grew up in Diamonds, but for me-"

"You never did ask me what Mother and Father did for their jobs, did you?" Matthew interrupted, which only succeeded in making Alfred look more confused than ever. "Mother and Father were spies. Even though they were from separate Kingdoms each of their Triumvirates sent them to Hearts to work together on a weird mission or something like that. I'm not sure what they were supposed to do, but from the moment they met until we were born they lived in Hearts. When we were born, they saw my Tattoo and knew that their cover would be blown the second the Numbers knew I was supposed to be in Diamonds. You know how it is with the whole Tattoo thing," he continued to say, glancing at Alfred. "Once they know that you don't belong in that Kingdom they kick you out."

Alfred smiled weakly at that statement, looking slightly sick. "Yeah, I know. It's kinda harsh to kick the people whose Tattoos change out of their homes, don't you think?"

"If they didn't, there would be no reason for Kingdoms at all." Matthew said. He stared at Alfred for a bit longer and said, "Are you sure you're ok? You're all pale again."

"I'm fine." He said faintly. Matthew wasn't convinced but then Alfred was speaking again and he tried to focus on what his brother was saying.

"So, that explains why I'm in Hearts. That means after Mom died, Dad took you and left." Alfred pondered. "But why did he leave me behind?"

Matthew hadn't considered that. He sat back and frowned to himself. It was a valid question. One he couldn't ask now. "Honestly, I have no clue. I didn't even know that I had a brother until Francis mentioned you."

"He mentioned me?"

"Yes. I didn't go to the Gathering but Francis had said something about the Queen of Spades saving a boy that looked a lot like me. I didn't think a lot about it at the time but now thinking back, he must have been talking about you. If you are a Heart- which you have to be in order to stay in the Kingdom long enough without being banished- why did the Queen of Spades save you? What happened?"

Alfred flushed and mumbled, "It was nothing, really. I was being stupid and I walked out into the middle of the street without paying attention to where I was going. England just pushed me out of the way. He saved my life." He then became very interested in the grass and twirled the blades between his fingers.

"You don't seem very happy about that." Matthew commented. "Are you mad at England?" Alfred started and turned to stare at him. Matthew himself was surprised at the bold accusation. He had only met the other a few hours ago, yet he could read Alfred as easily as he could read his own emotions.

"Well, I mean, I'm glad he saved my life." Alfred said after a pause. "But there were some things after the Gathering that he did that I'm most defiantly not happy with." He picked up a rock and angrily threw it across the clearing. It landed in the middle of the field and disappeared into the flowers.

"Is that why you're here and not in Hearts?" Matthew asked. "Because of what the Queen did?"

"Yeah," came the bitter reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Matthew saw Alfred's face grimace and quickly backtracked.

"I mean, you don't have to." Matthew said. "It's just there's been so many times that I've wanted to talk to someone but couldn't. I just want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk about it. And I won't push you if you don't want to talk about it, either. Whichever way, I-" he hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "-I'm here for you. I just want you to know that."

Alfred smiled, revealing a row of white teeth and shinning blue eyes. "I know, Mattie." He said brightly. "But right now, I'd rather not tell you why I'm in Spades. I'm sure Francis-"

"France," Matthew corrected.

"-well, yeah, France, Francis same thing." He shrugged before continuing. "I'm sure France will tell you anyways. He was pretty determined to figure that out from England too. Plus I don't fully get it myself."

Matthew gaped at his twin, while Alfred stretched. What did he mean, he 'didn't fully get it himself'? How did Alfred not know how he had been taken away from Hearts- where he belonged- to Spades? Matthew shook his head. At least he'd get the full story from Francis later. He watched Alfred as the other attempted to stand up. When he stumbled, almost falling to the ground again, Matthew automatically reached out a hand to steady him from below.

"Whoa, thanks." Alfred grinned down at Matthew. He held out his hand. "Here, let me help you now."

Matthew, although exasperated, accepted his hand. Alfred pulled him up with a small grunt. Then he leaned back down to collect the books he had been reading before Matthew had arrived.

"What are those anyway?" Matthew asked as they shuffled back across the field towards the Castle. "And where are we? You never answered my original question."

"These," Alfred said, shifting the books in his arms. "Are notebooks from the study we were in before we came out here. And as far as I can tell, the study is some private office thing that was abandoned a long time ago. I discovered it yesterday and I figured it would be a good place to talk to you in private."

"Wait, wait, wait a second." Matthew said as Alfred entered the study, one step ahead of himself. "In the beginning you said that you were supposed to bring me to some kind of Ward so they could make sure I was physically fine. Was I ever brought to the Ward or did you just bring me here instead?"

Alfred placed down the books on the table to Matthew's left and turned around. "What do you think?" he asked with a sly smile.

Matthew stared at him before saying, "I was never brought to the Ward, was I?"

Alfred's smile turned into a full blown grin and Matthew groaned, burying his face in his hands. This was going to be a long week.

-o0o-

Matthew came to regret his promise to Alfred in the next few days that passed. His brother, he discovered, had a talent for popping in at odd moments to ask the most random questions.

"What are those things you have on your face?" Alfred asked him after running into his room that first night.

"What are you talking about?" Matthew asked grumpily. He was tired after a long day of traveling to Spades, learning he had a twin brother, being declared 'missing' along with Alfred by the servant Toris, and having dinner with the Triumvirate of Spades before finally going to his room to sleep to only find his twin brother bouncing on his bed with more questions and looking very much awake.

"You know, those things," Alfred jumped off the bed and poked Matthew's glasses on his nose. "What are they?"

Matthew blinked in surprise. "You don't know what these are?"

Alfred shook his head, and Matthew was struck by how naive his brother was at that moment.

"Oh. Well here, have a closer look." Matthew took off his glasses and handed them over. Through his blurry vision, he could make out Alfred studying the thin sheets of glass from all angles, running his fingers over the thin strip of metal that connected them.

"They're called glasses." Matthew explained.

"What do they do?"

"They make your vision clearer and help you to see better."

"Like a magnifying glass?"

"Kind of. Here, try them on." Matthew carefully removed the glasses from Alfred's grip and placed them on his nose. Alfred blinked several times, obviously trying to get used to them, and then his eyes widened.

"Whoa," he breathed. "Everything is so much brighter. And sharper." He turned in a circle, staring at the guest bedroom as if he had never seen the place before. Matthew laughed.

"They do help out a lot." He said with a grin.

"Where did you find this?" Alfred demanded. "Can I buy them or do I have to find someone to make it for me?"

"They're sold on the market. I guess they haven't made their way over to Hearts yet, huh?"

Alfred shook his head and continued to gape openly at the room. Matthew smiled softly and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from turning. Who knew if he would fall over again?

"You can keep those if you want," he told Alfred. "I have an extra pair."

His brother's eyes widened further, if that was even possible. "Really?"

"Yes. Since we're twins the type of glasses I need should be the same as the ones you need. And there's no point in making you go buy another pair since you're not a Number and don't have that much money on your own."

"True." Alfred said sheepishly. "Thanks though. I'll be able to do so much more stuff now with these!" he pointed to the glasses with a cheeky grin and winked, causing Matthew to laugh again.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just go do whatever you need to do and let me sleep for a while before you come up with another question." He started to push Alfred out of the room.

"Sure thing, brother! See you tomorrow!" Alfred chirped and practically skipped down the corridor. Matthew shook his head and went back inside his room to get some much needed sleep.

The next day really wasn't any easier.

"Mattie! How did you meet Francis?" Alfred came up from behind Matthew on his way to meeting the King. Several people passing by jumped at Alfred's scream and glared at the pair, but Matthew ignored them. That was another thing about Alfred; he was loud and random but it was something he was going to have to get used to.

"Um, well after Father came back to Diamonds, Francis' family took us both in and took care of my father and me until he died. After he had been laid to rest, they adopted me into their family and Francis became my older brother."

Alfred was quiet, absorbing the information. Then, "So, is my real last name Williams or Jones? 'Cause you introduced yourself to me as Matthew Williams but my last name is Jones."

Matthew frowned. "How did you get the name Jones? Or even Alfred for that matter?"

The other shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what everyone called me. I guess the nurses in the place where Mom gave birth named me or something. What about you? How'd you get Williams?"

"That was Father's last name. Francis told me."

"So…my real name is Alfred Williams." They thought about that for a second.

"No," they both said simultaneously, looking back at each other.

"It sounds weird." Alfred said, making a face.

"Agreed." Matthew said. "Jones fits you much better."

Later, in the stables:

"Can I see your Tattoo?" Alfred said, sitting sideways on a silver horse a few feet off.

Matthew looked up from his own caramel-colored stallion to stare at his brother. "What?"

"Can I see your Tattoo?" he repeated.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just want to make sure you have one is all."

"Why wouldn't I have a Tattoo, Al?" he had come up with that nickname for his brother during breakfast, hoping that it would bother Alfred as much as 'Mattie' did for him. So far, the results were disappointing. "Everyone has a Tattoo, I'm no exception."

Alfred shrugged. "I was just wondering. Can I see it? Please? I've never seen a Diamond Tattoo."

"Oh, like you've seen a Spade, Heart and Club Tattoo already." Matthew scoffed. "Fine. Here." He walked over to Alfred and pulled down the back of his clothes to reveal a small bright yellow diamond on the upper left side of his back. He felt Alfred's fingers brush over the mark, tracing the diamond once before pulling away.

"What about you?" Matthew asked as he pulled his clothes back up. "Where's your Tattoo?"

As he turned back around, he saw the uncomfortable expression on Alfred's face and was surprised. After all, it was just a Tattoo. Even if it was in an unfavorable place on his body, Alfred really didn't have anything to hide from Matthew. Technically speaking, they had the same body even if their Tattoos weren't in the same place.

Alfred opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment the servant that Matthew had seen the other day- Toris he thought Alfred called him- came rushing in going on about food for the banquet that night and something about cloth, and Alfred had to leave quickly in order to help him out.

Matthew was fine about Alfred not being rich or a noble. Or even a Number for that matter. Alfred was still his brother, regardless of his status or what he had done to have been brought to Spades. Francis refused to tell him about why Alfred was in Spades, but he had told Matthew to keep a close watch on his brother for the time being until they left again for Diamonds. Matthew, who had already missed over a decade and a half of Alfred's life, was only too happy to comply.

Of course, that meant enduring more of Alfred's questions. Some of them were simple, easy. What's your favorite color? Purple. What's your Number? Two. What's Diamonds like? Wonderful, flashy and beautiful. Matthew hoped to bring Alfred back to Diamonds with him one day, if Francis and England allowed him to. He would love to show Alfred around the gardens with its metal flowers, and he _really_ wanted to give him a taste of what good food was. Not that Spades food was awful, but it wasn't…well, it wasn't Diamonds food. Alfred had never even tasted pancakes until Matthew made them the next day after they had met.

"What are these things called again?" Alfred experimentally poked one of Matthew's masterpieces with his fork.

"Pancakes," Matthew said, beaming. "And they taste best with loads of maple syrup on them." He placed a jug of the stuff in front of Alfred and looked at him expectantly.

Instead Alfred asked, "What's maple syrup?"

Matthew had been horrified, to say the very least.

There were other times though, when Matthew barely understood his brother at all. Alfred was occasionally quiet, pensive even. He would stare off into space for long periods, not saying a word, and then he would disappear. No one would know where he was until he showed up at mealtimes. At least that was one thing you could count on; Alfred never missed mealtimes.

Matthew had tried many times to find the 'study' where he and Alfred had made their deal, but he could never find it on his own. Alfred was able to re-find it no problem, however. He and Matthew spent several afternoons that week in the field, passing back and forth questions while Alfred read some more from the notebooks he had found. Matthew liked to pick the flowers and weave them into crowns; much like Francis had done for Lili. By the end of the week, both he and Alfred had several necklaces hanging in their rooms.

It was so calm and peaceful; the kind of life Matthew always wanted. It was too bad that things couldn't stay this way forever.

-o0o-

Alfred had been put on watch. He had realized this about halfway through the week, when he had noticed two burly soldiers glaring at him from across the Castle grounds. At first he had thought that it was just a coincidence; why would he be followed by armed men, besides the obvious reason that he was an enemy of the state? But the men had trailed him everywhere he went, it didn't matter where. In the Stables they were leaning against the doorway, waiting for him to leave. In the hallways, they walked behind him and Toris trying not to get in other's ways. In the Kitchens, they stared at him while he ate.

That left only one option left to Alfred; try to evade these new shadows at all costs.

It became a new and fun hobby to practice when he wasn't busy helping Toris or trying to find Mattie and ask him more questions. It was fairly easy too especially since Alfred was alone and the soldiers always stayed in pairs throughout their entire shift. Alfred could effortlessly duck in between people and small places while the soldiers were too tall and bulky to do the same. It was a simple matter to get lost in a crowded room and then run out when his watchers weren't paying attention.

"I don't get it, why do I need a guard?" Alfred complained to Matthew after he had gotten away from the soldiers for the millionth time. They were in the field again during the morning, enjoying the peace of the place. "I've never done anything wrong; I've listened to England! And seriously, I spend almost all of my time with Toris anyways. Why would England suddenly get a bunch of annoying soldiers to babysit me?"

Matthew hummed thoughtfully, playing with the purple and blue flowers. "Maybe it had something to do with Francis?" he suggested. "Whatever you did before to be brought here, Francis obviously thinks is going to have a serious affect on Diamonds. Maybe he wants you to be watched so that you don't do whatever you did again or something?"

"I really doubt it," Alfred stared up at the sky, scowling. As far as he knew, the only 'crime' he had committed was saving his friends' lives. A though occurred to him. "Wait, he hasn't told you why I'm here yet?"

"No. I may be his younger brother-"

"_Adopted _younger brother," Alfred corrected. He had only just learned that he had a twin; he quite wasn't willing to share just yet, even if Francis was the King. Matthew was _his_ sibling, not Francis'. Francis was just a friend, like Kiku was.

Matthew smiled softly, and then continued. "-I may be close to Francis, but that doesn't mean I'm an exception to the way the Kingdoms work. I'm not the Queen, I'm just a Number. I have no right to know about the situation if my King does not want to tell me."

Alfred stared. "You are way too goodie-goodie, you know that?" he said. Matthew laughed but didn't take back what he had said. That was one thing Alfred liked about him; Matthew was calm and liked to appease others, but he would never waver from something he truly believed in. And following Diamonds was defiantly something he believed in.

"So," he spoke again, interrupting the quiet atmosphere. "Today is your last day."

Matthew went still, his hands frozen on the petals. It was a topic they had been avoiding; neither willing to discuss what would happen when they were separated.

"Yeah, it is." Matthew said.

"I was wondering- I mean, there's this party thing-" Alfred started to say.

"I know about the banquet tonight." Matthew said. "It's mandatory that I go, all of the nobles have to attend, remember? It's some sort of 'parting' party thing they do every time the Diamond Triumvirate visits Spades. I guess you wouldn't know, only being here for a few weeks-"

"I'm not talking about that!" Alfred said, rolling his eyes. "Gosh, who would want to go to some boring banquet? No way, man, I'm talking about the party that's going on in the Town."

This stopped Matthew short. "What?"

"Well, I heard from Toris that the townsfolk kind of do the same thing that the nobles do- just on a much smaller scale."

"What do you mean?"

"The townsfolk of Spades throw a huge festival thing in the village with all of the Diamond servants who aren't helping with the Royal banquet. It's the same idea as the other party; to celebrate the time they got to spend here together and stuff." Alfred shrugged. "A lot of the people in Spades are friends with the Diamonds even though they don't get to see each other that often. They want to have a night of fun before everyone goes home. Or at least, that's what Toris told me." He half-smiled at Matthew.

"So…you want me to come? But won't that conflict with the banquet?"

"No, not really. The Town party starts later; it's planned so that the two don't conflict. Can you come? Please? I don't want to go alone; I still don't know a lot of people besides Toris and Rica!" Alfred sat up and made puppy eyes at Matthew, knowing the other couldn't object.

"I-I-" Matthew stuttered. "Oh alright, I'll try, okay? I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

"Yay! Thank you Mattie, you're the best!" he flung his arms around his brother, almost crushing him.

"Alfred!" Matthew gasped. "I can't breathe!" Alfred automatically released him and backed away, looking apologetic.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay, but you need to be gentler sometimes." Matthew said with a sigh. He reached over to ruffle Alfred's hair and made to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Alfred asked, squinting up at him through his glasses.

"I have to go pack. Francis wants to leave first thing tomorrow."

"Oh," Alfred's face fell. "Okay. I guess I'll see you tonight then?"

Matthew smiled. "I said I'll try, right? If not, I'll make sure to find you tomorrow before we go. Okay?"

"Alright." Alfred sighed, disappointed. He stood up and hugged his brother one last time- just in case- before watching him vanish into the Castle.

Alfred sat back down and leaned against the tree, still reading the notebooks he had found earlier that week. The handwriting had been a challenge to read- it was in script. Who the heck wrote in _script_? - but eventually he had gotten used to it. The only problem now was actually trying to understand what the guy was writing about. Even now, the author was going on about some weird lengthy word that Alfred had never heard about before.

He sighed again, this time from annoyance. It was time for a trip to the Library.

-o0o-

Arthur still had trouble processing that a person like Alfred Jones- loud, clumsy, and completely manner less- was the Jack of Hearts. It just didn't make any sense. He never once acted like a Royal and it was driving Arthur crazy. Alfred had no respect for Arthur, though he did grudgingly give it when necessary, and liked to deliberately annoy Arthur simply for the sake of doing so.

Why else would Alfred continuously shake off the guards Arthur had assigned him? Did he _want_ to make Francis mad at Arthur? It was all Francis' idea to have soldiers keep watch on Alfred to make sure he wouldn't run away from Spades. Arthur would have been fine leaving Alfred the way he had been for the last week, but it was the only way Francis would allow Alfred to stay under Spades protection.

However, if Alfred continued to trick his guards, Arthur was going to have a problem. Francis would insist in taking turns keeping Alfred away from Hearts, and that would mean…well, that would mean spending more time with that bloody Frog and Arthur wasn't going to put up with him any more than he already had to, damn it! Switching Alfred between Diamonds and Spades would just make Arthur's life harder. It was something he really didn't need or want.

Arthur needed to have another talk with the Jack of Hearts.

The search for Alfred Jones was much more difficult than it should have been for the Queen of Spades. Some of the servants claimed seeing him in the Kitchens preparing food after breakfast, while others swore they saw him running into the Stables just little over an hour ago. Alfred had been in neither of those places, much to Arthur's annoyance. He had stumbled into the soldiers who were _supposed_ to be watching Alfred somewhere along the way. Then sometime around noon, he found Francis' 'Canada', Matthew Williams and Toris- the two people in Spades who probably knew Alfred best- talking in the hallway outside the Throne Room.

"Your Majesty," Toris said, bowing.

"Do you know where Alfred is?" Arthur snapped, getting right to the point.

"I- no, not at this moment-"

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"I was just with him a moment ago outside." The quiet teenager, Matthew, spoke up. "But I think he was leaving soon."

Arthur took in a measured breath, trying not to lose his temper. Francis would have his hide if he yelled at Matthew. "Do you know where he might be going to? Any information at all would be helpful."

"Did you check the Stables or the Kitchens-?"

"Yes, I've already been there."

"Then what about the Library?"

This stopped Arthur short. "The Library?"

"Yeah, he goes there sometimes to look up information on-" Matthew started to say, but Arthur was already stalking down the hallway.

The Library was packed, as usual. When Arthur asked around about Alfred, a group of teenagers pointed him towards the furthermost corner where the stories of the old legends were kept. This area was more deserted than any of the other sections, and Arthur wondered what had brought Alfred here. It hardly seemed like a place normal teenagers would go…

But then again, Alfred wasn't a normal teenager.

And there he was, curled up on a couch, head bent, and back towards Arthur. His blonde hair shone from the lamp light next to him, but he didn't look up at the sound of Arthur's footsteps. Was he too busy reading? Or was he ignoring Arthur on purpose?

"Alfred," Arthur said, trying hard not to fold his arms and look like a scolding parent.

The teenager jumped at the sound of his name, and twisted in his seat until he saw Arthur standing behind him. His surprised expression quickly soured. With a sigh, he slammed the thick book in his lap shut.

"What?" Alfred asked flatly.

Arthur scowled. "Really, is that anyway to address a Queen?"

"Well, you're not my Queen…" he mumbled quietly. Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Alfred said, sighing again. "What is it you need, _Your Highness_?"

"Much better," Arthur said. He walked around Alfred's chair and sat in the seat across from him so that the two were face-to-face. "I wanted to talk to you about your guards."

Alfred made a face. "You mean the slow and stupid idiots that would sooner watch me die than protect me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you haven't been assigning the nicest people to watch me." Alfred said, crossing his arms. "Did you even pay attention to who you gave the job to?"

"I don't see why it should matter." Arthur replied, confused.

"Some of the 'guards' are the soldiers that attacked me and my friends at Alhliða. Do you really think that they're going to be nice to me after that?"

"Have they done anything to you?" Arthur asked, quickly scanning the other over. He didn't look hurt or bruised at all.

"Not yet," Alfred said venomously. "But I'll bet you anything that they will if you keep forcing them to stalk me for hours at a time."

"It's not stalking." He replied coolly. "And they won't do anything to you, I promise. They have already sworn not to tell others of your identity. I will make sure they will not harm you as well."

"Why do I even need guards?" Alfred whined. "It's not like I've done anything wrong."

"Francis wants to make sure that you won't go sneaking off back to Hearts in the middle of the night without my knowing." Arthur said skeptically. He watched as shock crossed Alfred's face, followed quickly by a flush of anger.

"I wouldn't do that!" Alfred's voice started to rise in volume. "I promised you that I wouldn't try to escape-!"

"Inside voices, Alfred." Arthur interrupted. "We are in a Library. And yes, I know I have your word. But Francis can be stubborn when he wants to be."

Alfred slumped back in his seat, looking depressed. "This is so stupid. I don't want guards-"

"And yet, you shall have them. I am here to tell you to stop resisting them. The soldiers are just doing what is asked of them, and I would appreciate it if you would stop making their jobs harder."

"Or else, what?" Alfred asked. "You'll lock me up in the dungeons or something? Torture me?"

Arthur grit his teeth. He could never imagine torturing Alfred, or even locking him away for that matter. He was too…bright. Too lively. Sending him to the dungeons would most likely crush his spirits, destroy his character. No, he could never do that. Just the thought of it was disgusting.

"Why can't you just behave?" he snapped instead of voicing his true feelings. "I'm trying to help you."

Alfred snorted. "Why is it that don't I believe you?"

"What will make you do as I say?" Arthur asked, running his hands through his hair with frustration. "Is there_ anything_ I can do to make you listen to me? _Anything_ at all?"

He had spoken out of frustration and anger, but when he wasn't immediately met with a reply, he was surprised to see Alfred actually considering what he had said.

"How 'bout this, England," Alfred said slowly. "Let's make another deal."

Arthur winced at the other's poor grammar- really, it was 'about'. There was no such thing as ''bout'- but overlooked it for the time being. "What kind of deal?" he asked warily.

"The kind where we both get what we want."

A pause.

"I'm listening."

"I'll make you a bet," Alfred said, leaning forward. "That I can shoot the same mark on a target three times in a row, without any practice. If I can't, you can assign whatever guards you want on me and I won't try to avoid them."

"And if you win?" Arthur asked.

Alfred grinned, the first real smile Arthur had seen on him since arriving in Spades, even if it was slightly mischievous. "If _I_ win, I get to choose the guards that watch me. I still won't try to avoid them, but that way I'll trust them more than the ones now."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Is that all?" As of now, it sounded like a fair deal. He had been meaning to find out if a Heart's shooting skill was really as good as their King claimed, and this was the perfect way to do it.

"Oh, and you have to come to a party with me." Alfred added in.

Arthur chocked. "_What_?"

"Don't worry, it won't be anything big. It's just a little celebration thing in the Town later tonight-"

"I have the banquet, in case you forgot!" Arthur squeaked. The last time he had been to a party with non-royal folk it had been at the Gathering- and both he and Alfred knew how that ended. Plus, he didn't like socializing. He hated dancing. The Gathering had been the only time he had actual fun at a party. Why didn't Alfred understand that?

"Well, yeah, duh." Alfred rolled his eyes. "This party's after the banquet. It won't interfere with your Queenly duties or whatever it is you do."

Arthur was quietly seething, thinking hard to see if there was any other way to get Alfred to obey him. There was none.

"If I do this, you will listen to me?" he finally asked.

"I'll try harder." The teenager said with a grimace.

They stared at each other for a moment, both trying to see if the other was bluffing or not.

"Fine, I accept your deal." Arthur said and a radiant smile lit up Alfred's face. "But I get to choose the target and the weapon you use to shoot!"

"Sure, I'll take anything you throw at me, Queenie." Alfred said cheerfully as they stood up.

"Do _not_, call me Queenie." Arthur glared at him over his shoulder, leading the way out of the Library. "I hate that name."

"What should I call you then?" Alfred asked, skipping along next to him.

"Anything but that." Arthur muttered, receiving another grin from the bouncy teenager.

The servants stared at the pair as they meandered through the Library, but Arthur purposefully ignored them. It was an odd sight to see- a Queen and a new servant strutting around the Castle- but that was only because he had been so busy lately. First with the Gathering, then the meeting with the Hearts Triumvirate, and finally Francis' lot. He hadn't had any time to relax- though he doubted he would with the tensions between Spades and Hearts right now- but this thing he was doing with Alfred was…nice. He wasn't worrying about anything else right now. For the moment he could breathe.

"Why do you want me to go to a party with you, of all things to choose from?" Arthur spoke up again as they reached the Training Area. Alfred looked back at him with a frown.

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "You're the Queen, so you're probably used to formalities and such."

"So?" Arthur asked defensively. Were formalities such a bad thing? "What about it?"

Alfred shrugged. "I kinda want to see how you act around your citizens. Like how you treat them and how they respond to you. I want to know what type of Queen you are."

While Arthur sputtered in shock, he added, "Also, we had fun at the last party we went to together. I want to know if we can still be like that. You know, just Alfred and just Arthur." He looked back at the Queen with such a rueful expression that Arthur felt his face go slack.

"But, anyways, that's not the point." Alfred said, stopping. They had reached the Shooting Range. "The whole idea of this is to see if I can impress you or not with my awesome skills."

Arthur scowled, his irritation returning. "You think that you will impress me just by shooting a few arrows straight?"

Alfred smiled. "I guess we'll see, eh?" he nodded at the large storage house that held the different types of weapons. "Go ahead, pick one."

Arthur glared at him once more before turning away. With his back towards Alfred, he entered the storage house and took his time choosing which weapon the other would have to use. He couldn't make it that easy for him, now could he? No, the weapon would have to require skill to use properly. Alfred looked like the kind of person who would have the easiest time fighting while swinging around a huge club. So that meant Arthur would need to find something lightweight, something that Alfred would be unfamiliar with.

Arthur stopped in front of a wall covered with weapons that were used for far distance fighting. There were several fake guns loaded with wooden bullets and bulky rocket shooters on wheels, but none of those seemed right. Instead, Arthur chose a simple metal bow and three feathered arrows. He ran his fingers over the smooth iron, remembering all of the times he had practiced with this very bow. It had taken him ages to master the weapon- it was made by the fairies with magic. When used correctly, a flash of blue light would linger in the arrow's path, destroying everything in its way. It was a deadly weapon. Few could use it because few had magic. Arthur was one of the few. Alfred, however, wasn't.

He almost felt guilty, choosing this weapon when it was clear that Alfred would not be able to shoot with it. However, he needed Alfred to listen to him and there was no way that he was going to attend some bloody party after dealing with Francis for another night.

"You took your time." Alfred called out to him as Arthur walked back.

"I had to choose a good weapon, didn't I? I couldn't make it that easy on you." Arthur grumbled, shoving the bow and arrows into Alfred's hands.

"Huh, this is…nice." He examined the bow, his brow furrowing.

"You think so?" Arthur waved over a nearby servant and said, "Get a Pendulum* ready, alright? Set it up about, oh, forty-five feet away. "

"Forty-five?" Alfred echoed as the servant scurried away. "That's kind of far, don't ya think?"

"Its 'you' not 'ya', but yes. It is far. But you are the one who let me decide the weapon and what target."

"That's mean," Alfred complained. "You're not playing fair."

"I don't have to play fair," Arthur responded. "I'm the Queen, remember?"

Alfred stuck out his tongue at him and Arthur gaped.

"Don't be a child, Alfred!" he said testily.

"I'm not a child!" Alfred said, pouting. "But, uh, what's a Pendulum?"

"Oh. I forgot you didn't know; everyone here practices with it but I suppose you wouldn't know being from Hearts. It's a circular piece of wood that hangs from a metal bar and it swings back and forth while soldiers shoot at it. Much like a pocket watch would if you hold it by its chain."

Alfred twitched slightly at the word 'pocket watch' but nodded his consent. "That's cool. Sounds kinda hard to hit, though."

"It is," Arthur said, smiling evilly and Alfred glowered at him. "Lucky for you, you get to try it out first hand."

"Yeah, lucky me." Alfred said sarcastically.

"Your Majesty," the servant said, trotting back over to the pair. "It is up."

"Excellent! Thank you, William." Arthur said cheerfully. The servant nodded and left them.

"So, there it is." Arthur said to Alfred, and pointed at the Pendulum on the other side of the Area. It stood nearly a house high, and the circular piece of wood (called 'Bull's eye') was about the size of a carriage wheel close up, but from this distance it looked more similar to a coin. The Bull's Eye swung lazily right, and then left, never pausing or slowing down. It would take true skill and honest practice to be able to even hit the wood, much less the small black dot at its center.

Alfred looked more nervous now that he saw what he was up against. "I'm supposed to hit the wood?"

"Oh, no. That would be too simple. You, dear boy, are supposed to hit the very, very small black dot in the middle of the wood; the center of its diameter. Understand?" Arthur said.

"O-okay," the teenager frowned, squinting at the Bull's Eye.

"Have you ever used a bow and arrow before, Alfred?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah," he said to Arthur's surprise. "A few times. Kiku liked to use it more than I did, though."

Anger flared up inside of him at the mention of the Queen of Hearts. "Well," he said, slapping Alfred's back maybe a little too hard. "Best of luck to you."

"Thanks," Alfred said, wincing. "I'll try my best."

"Ready when you are, lad." Arthur took a few steps back and folded his arms, waiting for Alfred to use the bow. This was going to be interesting. When he missed the first time, this would all be over. All Arthur had to do now was wait.

A good number of people had started to linger in the Shooting Area, watching the encounter between the Queen and the servant with curiosity. A few were even motioning between Alfred and the Pendulum, explaining to the others what was going on.

Alfred on the other hand, ignored everyone. As soon as Arthur had stepped away, a look of pure concentration had crossed his face and he started to test the bow's flexibility and measure out its weight using his hands. He didn't pay attention to the growing crowd, or Arthur standing a few feet away. He was entirely focused on the bow and arrows.

After a few minutes, Alfred took a measured breath and drew an arrow. The crowd hushed, quieting so that no one spoke, and even Arthur had to lean forward in anticipation. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what would happen. This was more than just a simple bet, Arthur realized. This was a test. A test to see how good Alfred really was in military standards, using a weapon and given a challenge he had never faced before. This was a chance for him to prove himself to Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades.

Alfred let out an even breath, and released the first arrow.

There was a brilliant flash of blue light, illuminating the entire area around it, and the arrow streaked through the air fast as lightning. It flew across the Shooting area in less than a second and with a soft thud wedged itself deeply into the exact center of the swinging Bull's Eye.

The silence lasted for about five seconds, and then the people watching were cheering and clapping, and Arthur was standing there, frozen, mouth hanging open, unable to understand what had exactly happened-

And there was Alfred, still as stone, standing with both arms hanging in the air, one having just released the arrow and the other clutching the magical bow. He didn't look relieved or even surprised at the burst of light that had trailed after his arrow. He still had that look of concentration on his face, knowing that he had another two arrows before he was finished.

The crowd became silent once again as Alfred took the second bow- someone had removed the previous one from the Bull's Eye- but Arthur's mind was racing. How could Alfred use the bow? How? You needed magic to work the bow, and shooting an arrow over forty feet was no mean feat. Did Alfred have magic? And how did he shoot exactly in the center of a moving target? He said that he had only used a bow a few times! Had he lied?

Arthur was so shocked that he almost missed the shooting of the second arrow. But then the whole place was covered by the light blue glow, and- yes, there it was. The flash of magic raced after the arrow, making a straight line hovering in the air for a moment before dissipating. Arthur felt a thrill of fear stir within him; if anyone, or anything for that matter, had been grazed by that simple line, they would've been blown to smithereens.

The crowd was cheering and screaming again, which could only mean one thing. Arthur focused on the second arrow, which had also lodged itself firmly into the center of Bull's Eye.

_How was this possible?_

He stared at Alfred, numb. He was a _child_! Not even an adult, yet he was able to use one of the most difficult and deadly weapons of Spades with ease. Were all Hearts citizens like this? Or was it because he was the Jack? If that was true, what damage could the Queen or the King do? Arthur's head was pounding. How could he win a war against a Kingdom like that?

Alfred was loading the third arrow, his blue eyes narrowed against the setting sun, and that was when it happened.

One moment, he was just plain and simple Alfred, wearing servant clothes and wielding a metal bow. The next, he was dressed in a long blue jacket and brown pants. Underneath the coat was a dark vest and tie. The clothes were clean and simple in design, yet expensive in material; they were the clothes of a noble. In his right hand- the one that should have held the bow- was a silver gun. The left hand was clenched around something small and gold; a chain wrapped itself around his fingers. His hair was a glowing caramel color, and the sunlight was catching on a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose, causing them to turn white and hide Alfred's startling blue eyes. Arthur gaped. Alfred- he- he looked like- like a-

He looked like a Royal.

The third arrow shot through the air, destroying the illusion. Arthur winced, and closed his eyes against the blinding blue. He felt the rush of air as it passed him, and as good as felt the arrow hit the mark when the resounding thud echoed around the clearing.

He had done it. Alfred had hit the same mark three times in the exact same place.

The cheers were deafening. The crowd was clapping and whistling, some were even screaming. They all rushed forward, like a giant tidal wave, engulfing Alfred. His strange detached expression had disappeared, and now he was accepting their thanks with a bashful laugh. He looked up at the last second and caught Arthur's eye.

Alfred's face could have probably split in two with the grin he gave Arthur. It was almost blinding, really. Arthur felt anger rise up in him once more, the last of his awe leaving him. He glared at Alfred, furious with the teenager, furious at the bow for working against him, furious at himself for making the stupid deal with Alfred in the first place. Now he was going to have to go to that bloody party tonight.

Finally the crowd left, and Alfred jogged back over to Arthur's side, still smiling with glee.

"I thought you said that you had only used a bow a few times," Arthur was able to ground out.

"It's true!" Alfred protested. "I wasn't lying to you, Artie."

Arthur froze.

"_What_," he said quietly. "Did you just call me?"

"Artie?" Alfred repeated, hesitant at the look on Arthur's face. "I'm guessing you don't like it that much…"

"Why did you call me that?" Arthur said calmly.

"'Cause you said that you didn't like it when I called you 'Queenie'" Alfred said. "And then you said I could call you anything but 'Queenie' so I came up with 'Artie' instead. Personally I think it's better than 'Art' but maybe that's just me-"

Arthur buried his face in his right hand, his cheeks flaming red, and held up his other so that Alfred would stop speaking. "Don't call me 'Art', either."

"So I can call you 'Artie' then?" Alfred asked hopefully.

"No," he said coldly, turning away from the teenager.

"O-okay, then. I'll see you later tonight! For the party, remember?" Alfred called after him.

Arthur sent another murderous glare over his shoulder and stalked out of the Shooting Range, Alfred's laughter echoing after him.

-o0o-

"In life, people sometimes make rotten deals."  
>Jeanne Calment<br>-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***The Pendulum literally means what the word sounds like. I don't really know any other way to explain it then how I already did, but if you still don't understand just look it up on Google images. Picture that, just much bigger.**


	13. Chapter 12, Spades Capital Town

**5/5/2012 **

**Ugh, these chapters keep getting longer and longer. I swear, this entire story was way shorter in my head. To me, this the part of the story where Alfred and Arthur develop some kind of friendly relationship towards each other. Took them long enough, right? Anyways, thank you agian for all of the lovely reveiws and everything. It means a lot to me, and it helps inspire me to write. You are all so great!**

**This chapter was edited by the amazing waterbringer! Thank you so much for putting up with my questions!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Dining Hall_

Hours later, Arthur's head was still spinning from the events that had taken place in the Shooting Area. He could hardly focus on his last banquet with the Diamond Triumvirate, only picking at his food and not speaking. He just stared off into space, his mind whirling with guessed answers to questions he had no sure response to. The only sound conclusion he could make was that Alfred was much more powerful- and important- than he and Yao had originally thought. And that was not a good thing.

"What is wrong with you tonight?" Yao asked him quietly as the servants removed their plates from dinner. "You have hardly spoken the entire meal."

"It's nothing." Arthur said, waving a hand. "I'm just thinking about some…pressing issues, I suppose."

"Pressing issues?" Yao repeated, starting to sound worried. "Like what?"

"I'll tell you later-" he said, trying to prevent Francis from overhearing. But it was already too late.

"Are you talking about Alfred, _mon ami_?" Francis asked. He leaned in closer to the pair, smiling in amusement at Arthur's annoyed scowl.

"The Jack of Hearts? What about him?" Yao looked back and forth between them. He was obviously annoyed that he had been left out of the secret.

"Nothing." Arthur said. "I said that I will discuss it with you _later_, Yao. What I'm wondering is how a Frog like you found out." He glared at the King.

Francis chuckled. "Oh, the entire Castle is talking about it. I'm surprised that you haven't heard about it yet; you spend too much time in your study, dear friend."

"I want to know what happened!" Yao's eyes flashed.

"Well, that child Alfred has some power that we were not originally aware of," Francis said before Arthur could stop him.

"What kind of power?" Yao asked. Arthur inwardly sighed and tried to mentally prepare himself for the lecture he was about to receive.

"Magic," Francis breathed, eyes glowing in the dim light of the dining hall.

"_What_?" the Jack hissed.

"_Oui_, it is true. Lili and Vash saw it with their own eyes," Francis said and motioned to the two Diamonds seated further down the table. "They were strolling around the grounds at the time when they saw him shoot an arrow from the all powerful Iron Bow that you Spades so jealously hoard."

"How is that possible?" Yao echoed Arthur's own thoughts. "Who let him anywhere near the weapons area?"

Arthur coughed quietly and Yao rounded on the Queen. "You? You let him use the Bow? But why, Arthur? Why would you do something like that without consulting me first?"

"You told me to fix the problem with the guards," Arthur replied. "This was the only solution."

"I highly doubt that," Yao said coldly.

"I assure you it was," he scowled at his advisor. They continued to glare at each other for several seconds, until Francis interrupted them.

"Well, I heard it was quite a show. It's a pity that we missed it," he sighed. "But then again, this will only complicate things. Did you know that he had magic?"

"Of course not!" Arthur snapped. "I would have kept a closer watch on the boy if that were true."

"You will have to keep a closer watch on him anyways now," Yao said. "Even with the guards. Someone mastered in the ways of magic will have to keep an eye on him at all times-"

"I have magic. Perhaps I could-" Arthur started to say before he was interrupted by his Jack.

"No, you have already done enough. You and Francis have more important matters to focus on. For example, how to prevent a possible war. _I_ will worry about the Jack of Hearts."

"He is right, _mon ami_." Francis said, giving Arthur a small but sympathetic smile. "We need a strategy on how to deal with Hearts. We will have to meet again- sooner rather than later."

"I know! I know," he said with a heavy sigh. "God, why is this so bloody difficult?"

"War is never easy," Yao said wryly and Arthur snorted.

"Are you sure you want to go ahead with this, Arthur?" Francis asked softly. "You could hand Alfred back to the King and Queen of Hearts and this would all be over. Everything would be normal again; perhaps a bit more tense, but you would be saving a lot of our citizens in the long run."

He stared at Francis, dismay growing inside him at the others words. "If only Francis, if only. But I saw the vision, I know what could happen. Even if I gave Alfred back, it might not change anything. There is no grantee that Hearts will still not try to invade despite my actions. There is nothing I can do now to ensure a peaceful end to this mess."

"And you are one hundred percent positive that what you saw was from London?" Francis spoke again. Arthur could see the desperation in his blue eyes; he didn't want to go to war any more than Arthur did.

"Yes. I am positive." Arthur said and the other man slumped in his seat. He felt guilty pulling Diamonds into this disaster, but there was nothing he could do. If he was going to war against a huge military power like Hearts, he needed allies. And because of his treaty with Francis, he had one.

He sighed and stared at a tapestry across the room, lost in thought once more. It was rare times like this that he wished he had a King. It would be nice to know that there was someone on his side, no matter the situation. He needed someone there to tell him he was doing the right thing.

Arthur didn't bother speaking solemn words of departure to the Diamond Triumvirate after dessert had finished, except for a parting goodnight; he would be with them the next day to properly see them off anyways. However, it was Alfred's doppelganger-Matthew- who caught up with him soon after he and Yao had left the Dining Hall, not Francis.

"-ah, Your Majesty!" the Diamond called out to him, running up from behind. "England, sir!"

Arthur paused. He was surprised that the boy was even talking to him; he had yet to speak first while Arthur was in his presence. "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you," Matthew said. He eyed Yao warily for a moment- who was standing behind Arthur- before saying, "Alfred sent me; he couldn't reach you on his own. It's about tonight."

Arthur felt Yao tense up beside him and tried to hold back a grimace. The Jack was more paranoid than normal, and although it was justified, it was also sometimes overbearing. Arthur could take care of himself. He was the Queen after all.

"Ah, of course. Yao," he turned to his friend. "You can go. I won't be returning until later tonight, so any questions you have will need to wait until tomorrow morning, I'm afraid."

"Where are you going?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"To the Town. It is nothing to worry about." He tried to dismiss the issue with a wave of his hand, but Yao caught his arm and pulled him to the side, away from Matthew's ears. To his credit, the boy stayed where he was a few feet away and did not dare to venture over and listen in to the side conversation.

"I don't like this, Arthur." Yao hissed. "You've been withholding information from me."

"I would hardly call it that," Arthur whispered angrily back. "I was going to tell you about what happened this afternoon at the soonest opportunity but I did not see you until dinner. That, certainly, is not my fault."

"And what about now? Where are you going and what does _he_ have to do with it?" Yao demanded. "I have a right to know, Arthur!"

"I told you." He said coldly. "I am going to Town. I am not doing anything even remotely dangerous. There is nothing to worry about. Now if you would please, back off and let me deal with this _my_ way. I know what I'm doing, Yao."

They glared silently, both seething and annoyed at the other for different reasons. Eventually, Yao leaned away.

"I hope you do know what you are doing, Arthur. I truly hope you do." He turned on his heal and stalked down the end of the hallway. Arthur watched him go with a mixture of anger and frustration. It occurred to him that he had never fought this badly with Yao before he had met Alfred.

Pushing his uneasy feelings to the side, he walked back to Matthew, replacing his scowl with what he hoped was a pleasant smile. "So sorry about that, lad. Now, what was it that you were saying?"

Matthew frowned at him, but continued to speak as if nothing had occurred. "Alfred wants me to tell you to meet him at the grounds near the Shooting Range as soon as possible. He can lead you to the Town from there."

Arthur blinked; he had nearly forgotten that he did not know where or when to find Alfred. It was a blessing and a curse that Matthew here had delivered the information to him instead.

"Thank you," he said with a sigh. "I suppose I'll just change and go to him then."

"That would be good." Matthew said. "Could you tell him that I can't go though? And that I'm sorry?"

"You were supposed to come as well?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, Alfred told me about it. But I can't go because Francis needs me. Can you just tell him that I really wanted to go- honestly, I did- but I am really sorry that I can't? Will you tell him that for me?"

"O-of course." Did Matthew really want to spend his time with Alfred so badly after spending only a week together? "I'm sorry that you can't come too."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you had come at least I could spend my night with someone at sane, unlike Alfred who is, as we both know, utterly random." Arthur said this dryly, but Matthew laughed easily at the joke.

"That's what gives him his charm," he said good naturally, surprising Arthur. With a final bow, he said, "Well, have a good time tonight, Your Majesty. Remember to tell my brother what I said."

Arthur was left alone again as he stared off after Matthew. Such a strange boy. With a sigh, he walked off in the opposite direction, deciding to change into something less fancy before going to Alfred.

Might as well get this bloody night over with, he thought grimly.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle Grounds_

"What," Alfred said as Arthur came into his view. "Are you wearing?"

"What?" Arthur frowned. He looked down at his clothes; long, dark purple jacket, lighter vest and brown pants to match. A makeshift white bow tied at his collarbone, and a top hat rested on his blonde hair. It was much simpler than the clothes he had worn to dinner that night. He didn't see what Alfred's problem was. "What's wrong with it?"

Alfred snorted. "Seriously, dude, if you want to fit in at the party you're going to have to do better than that."

Arthur grit his teeth. Was this boy _ever_ polite? "Who said I wanted to fit in?" he snapped. "I'm their Queen! I can do whatever the hell I want-!"

"Yeah, no." Alfred interrupted. "Not tonight. Tonight you have to listen to what I say, remember? And I say that you need to lose the fancy getup." he gestured at Arthur's clothes, and the Queen scowled.

"Well, I'm not going back into the Castle to get changed, so unless you have a brighter idea-"

"Here," Alfred shoved a crumpled pile of clothes into Arthur's arms. "Wear these."

Arthur stumbled backwards slightly before looking at what he had been given. The clothes were messy, wrinkled, dull in color but light and loose. The fabric was fraying at the sides and was most defiantly not kept in the best condition. They were pauper clothes.

"Oh, no. There is no way-" he began to say before he was unexpectedly shoved from behind into the brush.

"Just shut up and get changed." Alfred grumbled, leaning on a tree. "I just spent an entire evening cutting up onions for you and your noble pals, so just do as I say 'cause I am not in a good mood."

"What does cutting onions have anything to do with this?" Arthur muttered, standing up and brushing the leaves off his clothes.

"Onions make you cry, Arthur." Alfred said, as though it were obvious. "That means my eyes have been tearing for, like, hours. _Hours_. It starts to get to you after a while." he paused, and then said, "Are you done yet?"

Arthur paused in mid-eye roll at the sight of Alfred glaring at him. "No, of course not! Turn around!" he hissed. Alfred gave a heavy sigh but did as he was told.

"Well, hurry up then. We're probably missing all of the food and stuff." He whined.

"I'm not hungry." Arthur said, wincing as his skin hit cold air.

"Duh, you just had like a five course meal." He heard Alfred say. "Why would you be hungry? I'm the hungry one. And if we don't get there soon, all the good stuff's going to be taken."

Arthur, fully changed, emerged from the bush. He sent Alfred a dirty look and folded his arms. Really, this was ridiculous. Why did he have to fit in with the Townsfolk when he clearly was not one of them? Alfred, who took the glare for Arthur being grumpy, laughed out loud and reached forward. Arthur automatically leaned away, ready to smack his hand if needed, but Alfred only flicked a leaf out of his hair. Arthur blinked at the casual gesture.

"C'mon, Artie. Let's go." He beckoned Arthur to follow him.

"Bu- what about my clothes?" Arthur sputtered, too surprised to protest the nickname.

"We'll get them later," Alfred said walking away. When he noticed that Arthur wasn't in fact following, he turned back around to see Arthur gaping at him.

"'We'll get them later'?" he repeated incredulously.

"It's not a big deal, Artie." He said. Arthur stood rooted to the spot, refusing to move.

"Oh, _c'mon_, we're missing dinner." this time, Alfred grabbed Arthur's wrist and tugged him along, while Arthur was forced to struggle from behind.

They didn't say anything as the pair trudged along the dirt path. Alfred didn't loosen his tight grip, but Arthur did not dare complain. In all honesty, he was secretly glad since he was sure that he would have fallen by now if not for the hand on his arm; the sun was setting and twilight was falling on the grounds. He knew that the party was in the Town, but he did not understand why Alfred was leading them away from the main road out of the Castle. He only became more alarmed when the teenager suddenly veered off whatever path they had been traveling, heading into the brush.

Alfred suddenly released Arthur, causing him to stumble slightly into a tree. He immediately lost sight of the other in the fading light; he couldn't even hear Alfred's footsteps. Panic quickly began to build inside of him, followed by fear; he had never liked the night much. Even less now that he had little knowledge of his surroundings.

"Alfred!" he whispered loudly. If this was some kind of joke he was going to-

"Arthur," said the familiar voice less than a foot away. He felt fingers wrap themselves around his wrist again, more gentle than before, and relief- stronger than he would have thought possible-rushed through him.

"Follow me," Alfred continued to say, leading him slowly. Arthur tripped forward, unable to see in the darkness.

"How will this lead to the Town?" Arthur asked.

"You'll see," Arthur heard rather than saw the smile in Alfred's voice.

Together they pushed through the mini-forest until he began to see tiny pinpoints of light through the leaves. He could make out Alfred in front of him, his gold-brown hair shinning where the light hit. Finally, Alfred pushed away a branch and they were bathed in white. Arthur winced, squinting against the glare.

In front of them was a worn out iron gate that Arthur recognized- it marked the edge of official Castle boundaries- and beyond it he could see the back of a hut. He could hear music and chatter pouring from the streets, and golden light coming from the center of the Town flickered oddly as if made from flames.

"Ready?" Arthur looked to his left and saw Alfred standing beside a rather large hole in the fence. He frowned. When had that gotten there? And how did Alfred learn about it?

He only hesitated for a moment before ducking underneath the iron and stepping onto the other side. He stared wide eyed at his surroundings as he waited for Alfred to catch up. This was really the Town? Was it really that simple to get out of Castle grounds? He couldn't tell if he was happy or bothered by this. On one hand, it probably made the servants faster and more efficient, but on the other hand, it was a weak link in a chain that was supposed to be protecting the Castle. What would happen if the enemy found it?

"This way," Alfred said, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts again.

He walked quickly away, forcing Arthur to jog to keep pace. They kept a careful distance between them this time seeing as they could now see more than two feet in front of them. They began to encounter Townsfolk on the street, first a young teenage couple, then a family of four, and then a stampede of children all leading to the center of the Town. Eventually, they were surrounded by people. Some of them started upon seeing Alfred and Arthur, and Arthur would stand straighter- thinking that they recognized him as Queen- but the peasants hardly glanced at him. Instead, they patted Alfred's shoulder fondly or exchanged a greeting and a smile before parting on good turns.

"What?" Alfred asked when he caught Arthur staring.

"How is it that they know you, a mere peasant, but they can't even recognize their Queen when he appears before them?" Arthur demanded, frustrated beyond belief.

"Ouch, Artie, that hurts." Alfred held a hand over his heart and made a painful face, mocking him.

"Stop that!" he glared daggers at the teenager, only causing him to grin more. "And don't call me Artie! It's annoying!"

"Well I have to call you something other than Your Highness," Alfred said.

"Arthur will suffice, I assure you." He shot back as they neared the center of the Town.

Alfred shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said easily, shoving his hands in his pockets and smiling pleasantly at Arthur. Arthur noted that he did not say whether or not he would give up the awful nickname. He glowered and folded his arms again. Already they were arguing. And this night was supposed to be _fun_?

The Town had practically transformed since the last time he had seen it. The place was aglow with candles and a large bonfire shined in the center of the plaza, much like the fountain was in Alhliða. Food was on every available surface that wasn't being used for dancing, and in some of the rare open areas activities were set up for the children. To some, it might be crowded and overly hot, but to Arthur who had lived almost his entire life stuck away in a Castle, it was amazing. Like the Gathering, the place had an almost homey feel to it.

"Alfred!" called out a familiar voice. The pair turned to see Toris nearing, his look of delight upon seeing his friend turning into one of horror when he noticed the Queen of Spades standing next to him.

"Y- your Majesty?" he asked when he was close enough for them to hear.

"Toris," Arthur said, surprised. "You're here too?"

"I- yes, of course. Nearly the entire Castle staff is here. Alfred! What is he doing here?" Toris hissed, breaking off in the middle of his sentence to glare at the teenager.

"I, uh, invited him?" Alfred said sheepishly.

"What if someone recognizes him?" Toris demanded. "What if he gets attacked? This will all be on your head-"

"He'll be fine, we're just going to have some fun-" he started to say.

"I can take care of myself-!" Arthur said, annoyed that he was being completely ignored.

"Guys!" Both Toris and Alfred froze at the female voice, though Arthur did not recognize it. They glanced at each other, clearly in panic and unsure of what to do as the owner of the voice- a young teenage girl- appeared out of the crowd.

"Guys, over here!" she waved over to them, a smile so wide and bright that Arthur could do nothing but stare. He had never seen a person so happy simply from seeing another. The girl ran the last few steps to them and Arthur instinctively moved forward, as he always found himself doing when in fear that Alfred would get hurt. But instead she threw her arms around Alfred's neck in a bone crushing hug. Alfred let out a startled sound but after a second, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging the girl to him and closing his eyes with a smile.

Arthur stood there, frozen. Alfred was actually _smiling_. A genuine smile. As if he was actually enjoying this- being here, seeing this girl. A Spades girl, none the less. Arthur never thought that Alfred would become part of Spades- he was a Heart and a prisoner- yet here he was, hugging one of the Towns girls as if they had been best friends their entire lives. The shock was followed by a twinge of regret and pain, and finally anger. Alfred was here to have fun with _Arthur_, not some random peasant!

"Excuse me," Arthur said coldly and the girl released Alfred, blinking at him in surprise as if she hadn't seen him standing there. She sent a questioned look at Alfred who grimaced.

"Um, _hola_?" the girl said. "And who are you? Are you another friend of Alfred's?"

"He's, uh-" Alfred started to stutter before Arthur grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the girl, closer to himself.

"Yes, I'm his friend." Arthur confirmed. He felt Alfred stiffen and stare down at him, but he ignored it, choosing to glare at the girl instead; he would deal with Alfred later. She seemed more confused than intimidated, strangely enough. She tilted her head to the side and stared at him, frowning.

"What? Is there something wrong with my face?" Arthur asked bluntly.

"Arthur, don't be like that," Alfred murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

"No, its okay, Al." she said. "Some people are just rude."

Arthur bristled, and this time it was Alfred holding him back. "I am not rude!" he said in a raised voice.

"Mhm, sure." The girl said and rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "And for your information, I was staring at you because…well, you remind me of…" she hesitated.

"Who?" he asked calmly as Toris and Alfred made panicked faces again. Really, was it that awful if one of his own citizens recognized who he was? Wasn't that a _good_ thing considering that no one else besides Toris had so far?

"You look similar to the Queen," she finally admitted. "I mean, I could be wrong- I've only seen him once or twice when he passed through the village- but you have the same hair and height. What was your name again?"

"I'm-"

"Iggy," Alfred interrupted. "This is my, uh, friend Iggy. Iggy, this is Rica, my friend from Town." He nodded at the girl who raised an eyebrow.

"Iggy, huh? That's an interesting name." she said. "But my name's not exactly common either so I really have no right to judge you. Your parents must have been imaginative." She gave a good natured chuckle while Arthur continued to gape openly at Alfred. The name 'Iggy' was so random and surprising that he could not even form a sentence to express his complete and utter horror. Iggy was worst than Artie! How dare Alfred just make up a random name for him like that on the spot-

"Yeah, well, it was great talking to you, Rica! We'll try to catch up to you later, alright? C'mon, Iggs."

Alfred forcefully pulled Arthur away from Toris and the girl, gripping his elbow hard enough that he had no choice but to stumble behind after him. He looked back and could see the Rica girl open her mouth to call after them before Toris intervened. He felt anger rise up inside of him; he was the Queen! He could do whatever he wanted, and no ex-Club- as much as he genuinely liked Toris- or a Heart had any right to tell him otherwise! Alfred jerked his elbow, harder than before, and Arthur finally lost it.

"Stop." He growled, yanking his arm with enough force for Alfred to release his grip. They stopped in the middle of the courtyard, their faces flickering with the light from the bonfire.

"Arthur-" Alfred began to say.

"No, you listen to me you idiot." Arthur snapped, pointing a finger into Alfred's face. "You may have forced me to come here with you, but do _not_, for one _second_, think that you are the one in control here. I make my own decisions about what I do, and I refuse to go along with you another step until you understand that! I want to know why you refuse to tell people who I am and why you insisted on making me come here when you have done nothing but force me to do as you say the entire time! You said we would have fun but I can tell you right now, this is about as far from fun as it can get. You have to let me do as I please instead of controlling my every move or else this night will be painful for both of us."

The air was tense around them, and Arthur was surprised that none of the surrounding people could feel it. He folded his arms and glared at the teenager, who looked shell shocked at his words. Finally, the blue eyes blinked and refocused.

"I- I'm sorry." Alfred said, surprisingly quiet. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that. It's just…" he sighed heavily, looking at his feet, and Arthur felt his anger already begin to dissipate. Horror rose up inside him; what was it with Alfred that made him so hard to stay angry at? He hadn't even explained his actions yet Arthur was already willing to forgive him. This had never happened to him before, and he didn't understand it at all. And that alone was frightening.

"…it's just, I want tonight to be just you and me getting to know each other." Alfred began to explain, stumbling over his words. "I don't want it to be weird or awkward, but I guess it's kinda like that already, huh? I, uh, want this to be as natural as possible, if you get what I mean. If people knew who you were, then it wouldn't be like that anymore. The Townsfolk wouldn't be as comfortable celebrating around you. We wouldn't be able to act like ourselves. And on a larger note, Toris is right; you could get hurt. Another Heart besides me could be here with the job to _kill_ you. Do you want that to happen? And I know it bugs you that people don't recognize you and stuff, but that's only because you're not wearing all of those fancy clothes you normally parade around in. But, I mean, doesn't it feel better walking around without all of that stuff on?"

Arthur could only stare, not sure how to respond, but Alfred who wasn't bothered by the other's silence continued to speak.

"Right now there's nothing weighing you down; no clothes, no duties, nothing." Alfred said. He moved closer, and gently placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders. His blue eyes were intense as they gazed at him. "Right now, you can be _yourself_, Arthur. And that's why I don't want to tell people who you are. It's because I want to get to know the person behind the Queen. I know it sounds stupid, especially since you technically kidnapped me and I should hate you right now, but I really mean it. I want to know you, Arthur. Is that really so bad?"

Numbly, he shook his head. Alfred was surprisingly deep when he wanted to be, Arthur thought. He didn't think that the annoying teenager could speak like that. As strange as it was, Alfred was obviously charismatic. Arthur could tell that if he spoke to a crowd like he had just done to Arthur, they would all be rallying for his side. And Arthur knew better than most just how dangerous words could be when used on the right people. He made a mental note to not put Alfred in charge of any situation- not that he would do that anyway- the boy was a natural speaker. Possibly even a natural leader, which would explain how he had become Jack.

Alfred, as oblivious as ever to Arthur's thoughts, smiled in relief. He pulled him in for a tight hug, and released him so quickly that Arthur did not have time to object.

"Thanks for letting me explain," he said. "I don't want the Queen of all people to be mad at me, after all."

"Oh please," Arthur said, rolling his eyes, but unable to keep up his normal mask of irritation. "I'm already annoyed with you over this nickname business. Why in the world would you choose a name like 'Iggy'? Artie was better than that! If you wanted to hide my identity, why not choose Artie?"

"Artie's too similar to Arthur," Alfred said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And Rica is weirdly interested in the policies of the Castle. You saw how she almost recognized you. I had to choose something really different from Arthur."

"But then how did you come up with Iggy?"

"Well, England in Japanese sounds like Igirisu." He said, his voice automatically switching into a Japanese accent before going back to English. "Shorten that a bit, and you get Iggy." He shrugged. "I thought it made sense at the time."

"I forgot you knew Japanese," Arthur said with a frown. "You've been speaking English for a while now; how did you pick it up so quickly?"

"I learned it a long time ago in Hearts. I know a lot of languages." He said.

"Define 'a lot'," Arthur said.

"I, uh, know all of the main languages of the Suits." Alfred admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"What?" Arthur squeaked. "You mean to tell me that the entire time we were traveling to Spades back from Alhliða, you understood what we were saying?"

"Well, uh, yeah." He said sheepishly.

"Why didn't you tell me-?" his voice raised in volume and people began to stare at them. Not that he cared, of course, but Alfred looked nervous.

"Shh, Arthur, I'm sorry, okay? Just please be quiet!" he begged.

"Be quiet?" Arthur repeated incredulously. This was insane! What other hidden talents did Alfred have that was a potential threat to Spades? "What else have you lied to me about?" he demanded to know.

"God, nothing, I swear, just please calm down! It's nothing, really." Alfred insisted. "How 'bout we go do something to make you chill a bit?"

"I cannot even begin to describe everything wrong with that sentence." He said, more bothered than he should have been. He had always been very strict with Grammar, and Alfred was just unfortunate enough to be the exact opposite.

"Who cares about that?" Alfred said. "Let's go do something fun instead!" he grabbed Arthur's hand, not forcefully like before, but eager. He pulled him across the courtyard and Arthur let him, too tired to put up resistance.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Over there," Alfred said, pointing with his free hand to a crowded station supplied with paint.

"Face paint?" he said incredulously when he saw the children scampering around with markings on their skin.

"Yeah, isn't it neat?" Alfred beamed. "I thought it was such a great idea when I heard about it!"

"You would," Arthur murmured. This would be something Alfred would like; he knew from the Gathering how easily he got excited. Even something like the stars in the night sky had caused Alfred's eyes to widen in wonder.

"Haha, yeah, you're right. But that's just me, I guess." he said with a laugh. He guided Arthur to a seat and forced him to sit down. Arthur watched him skeptically as Alfred choose colors and squeezed the paint onto a wood pallet. He shoved the pallet into Arthur's hands, and he almost dropped it at the unexpected gesture.

"Why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

"Well, I need someone to hold it while I paint your face, right?" Alfred said.

"What? Why do I get the face paint? You're the one who wanted to do this in the first place!" he tried to hand over the pallet to Alfred but he only held up his hands, refusing to take it with a grin.

"Nah, ah. You're not gonna get out of this one, Artie. If I get face paint so do you."

"But I don't want it!" he protested.

"Too bad. It'll help prevent people from recognizing you. Now sit still or else you're going to have ridiculous smudges of random paint all over your face that won't make any sense." He leaned forward, and Arthur automatically moved away.

"Wait, wait, stop!" he cried. "Why are you the one doing this? Can't I get a professional or someone who actually knows what they're doing?"

"A professional face painter?" Alfred said with a laugh. "I don't think one of those exists. But don't worry; I'm won't paint anything stupid."

"I don't believe you!" he said and Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Okay, listen. If I paint your face, you can do whatever you want to mine, alright? You could paint unicorns on my nose if you want, I don't really care."

Arthur frowned, considering the option. It would be a perfect opportunity to take revenge against Alfred for bringing him to this party in the first place. And, well, he really did like unicorns after all…

"Alright," he said. "I'll let you do it. But just know, if you do anything to make me look like a fool, you will regret it."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Alfred said with a grin. "But seriously, don't worry. I wouldn't do something like that to you. Now close your eyes, and shut your mouth."

The last thing Arthur saw before he closed his eyes was Alfred's cheerful face, simply happy just for the sake of being so. He forced himself to sit still as he felt the wooden pallet move in his hands from Alfred's touch. He would just have to take Alfred's word that he would not paint anything insulting on his face. It was just paint, after all. He could wash it off if he really had to.

Alfred's fingers, coated with a layer of paint, brushed across his forehead, and Arthur jerked away.

"Chill, Artie. It's just me." He reminded Arthur.

"That's what I'm worried about." He answered and received a low chuckle from Alfred before they were quiet again.

Instead of focusing on Alfred's touch and trying to figure out what he was painting, Arthur tried to calm down and pay attention on his other senses. Without sight, he could hear better and smell all of the different kinds of food. The instruments creating the music played a lively beat and he could hear the stomps of people's feet as they twirled around the courtyard. Children's laughter mixed with the banter of the adults, and he felt his mouth twitch into a smile despite himself. These people were so happy; free in a way that he could never be. But that was why he was their Queen; he could handle the pressure and even the hate, if necessary. It was his job to protect their freedom, their happiness. And if it took a war to do it, so be it.

"What are you thinking about?" Alfred's voice broke his train of thought. "Your face looks so serious right now."

Arthur smiled wryly, eyes still shut. "I thought I was supposed to keep my mouth closed?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just curious."

Arthur was silent for a moment. Did it really matter if he opened himself up to Alfred? No, not really. Even if he was a Heart, he would not be going back to his home anytime soon. He could trust Alfred for the time being. It wasn't like Arthur was thinking about any top secrets anyways.

"I was thinking about my people," he finally answered. "They're so care free and happy. I wish I could be more like that."

"What's it like to be Queen, Arthur?" Alfred asked after a pause. "Do you ever want to be something else?"

Arthur's brow furrowed and he opened his eyes to see Alfred reaching out to him, fingers covered with blue and purple paint. Alfred gave him an almost sad smile before saying, "You gotta close your eyes, Artie. Unless you want paint in your eyes or something."

He obediently shut his eyes, trying to get used to the feel of the cool wet substance on his face. He tried to ignore the fact that Alfred was touching his eyelids as he said, "I'm the Queen because I need to be. It's tiring sometimes, but it's for my people so it is all worth it in the end. Even if they don't know or appreciate what I do on a daily bases for them, it's alright. I have a duty to them. There are families and children who depend on me being able to do my job. I was chosen by London because I can handle the tough choices that come along with the responsibilities."

"London? Is that your Eternal Implement?" Alfred asked.

Arthur nodded blindly. "Yes."

"And what if you had the choice? Would you choose to stay as the Queen?"

"It's who I am now," he said simply. "I can't really imagine being anything else. Perhaps a writer, or a professor, but I'm not very interesting according to some of my childhood acquaintances."

"I think you're interesting!" Alfred protested, much to his surprise. "You're the Queen of Spades! How could you not be interesting? I bet you've been all over the world and seen all kinds of cool stuff! And Rica's told me that you even have magic. Personally, I think that's amazing. You have everything you could ever need and you have this awesome gift that can help pepole. You have no idea how lucky you are."

"Lucky?" he repeated incredulously. "How am I in any way lucky? I have almost single handedly started a war between our Kingdoms! Nearly everyone thinks I am annoying or irritating. I have next to no friends. Everything I do seems to have a negative effect on the very people I am trying to protect."

"You are human, Arthur. You can make mistakes. And you do have friends; Yao is always there to help you, and Francis is too even though you don't like him that much. And, I mean, I'm trying to get to know you right? You can't be all that bad if you can put up with me all of the time."

Arthur peeked through his lashes at the grinning teenager, and felt his own lips twitch into a smile.

"That is true; you are almost insufferable, you know that?"

"I know! I don't get how Mattie tolerates me," he laughed.

"Speaking of which, he told me to tell you that he won't be coming tonight." Arthur said.

"Oh," Alfred's voice instantly lowered. "Well, that sucks. I was counting on him coming tonight, too." He sighed, sounding depressed and Arthur frowned.

"Do you really care for him that much?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's my brother." Alfred said, as if it were obvious. "Hey! Don't move; you'll mess it up." He had moved onto Arthur's nose and he had twitched instinctively.

"Sorry," Arthur muttered before continuing. "But, you've only known him for a week. How could you form such a strong bond in a short amount of time?"

"We spent nearly every waking moment together, in case you didn't notice. It felt like I already knew him, as if we had known each other our entire lives. It wasn't that hard to care for him." He felt Alfred's shrug through his touch.

"You give your love freely," Arthur realized out loud.

"Huh? I guess. I mean, I never thought about it that way. Matthew's my brother and the only family member I've ever had or will have. Is it really that weird that I love him?"

"If you knew my family, it would be."

"You have family?"

"Of course. Everyone does, even if they don't know them." Arthur said.

"So, I'm guessing you don't like them or something from the tone of your voice." Alfred said, tracing a strange shape on his chin.

Arthur laughed bitterly. "That would be putting it lightly. My mother died when I was younger, soon after my brother was born. My father never quite got over her death; one day he left our small house and he never appeared again. Peter and I had to stay with our cousins- Alfred? What's wrong?"

Alfred had jerked at Peter's name, snatching his hand away from Arthur as if he had said something terribly wrong. Arthur blinked his eyes open to find Alfred staring at him, jaw slack.

"Alfred? What is it?" he asked, worried now. What had he said that had upset him so much?

Alfred swallowed loudly before relaxing. "S-sorry. I just realized something." He cleared his throat, and looked away from Arthur at the ground.

"I don't understand." Arthur said. He was even more confused than before. What wasn't Alfred telling him?

"It's nothing. Really Arthur, don't worry about me. What was it you were saying about your brother?" his obvious attempt to avoid the topic only made Arthur more suspicious.

"I would hardly say that it's nothing if it bothered you that much," he said, but decided to let it go. He could always weasel it out of Alfred later if needed. He closed his eyes again. "Peter and I moved in with our cousins- who were absolutely horrid to us by the way- and we stayed there for a good year and half before…"

He faltered. A lump rose in his throat, as it always did when he thought of what had happened. Peter, his innocent beautiful baby brother had become a Joker at three years of age. Arthur was forced to give him up to the other Joker- an idiot German and ex-Heart named Gilbert. He hadn't seen Peter again until he became the Queen. To think that Peter had been raised by another was almost unbearable; their mother had entrusted him with Peter yet Arthur had turned out to be worst elder brother in all of Suits history.

"And then what happened?" Alfred asked.

"…and then I became Queen and I hardly see him at all anymore." He lied. He wasn't willing to fully open up to Alfred, regardless of what the other did. No one ever understood, so why would Alfred?

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Alfred said. "I'm done."

Arthur opened one eye, raising an eyebrow at the teenager. "Took you long enough. How do I look?"

Alfred grinned. "Well, I think you look pretty awesome. But I'm biased and all, being the artist. Here," he handed Arthur a small mirror resting on the table besides them. "Look for yourself and tell me what you think." Arthur grabbed the mirror, glaring at him for being an idiot, and held it up in front of his face.

He gasped. He heard Alfred chuckle from behind the mirror, but he ignored him, staring at his reflection. True to his word, Alfred had not painted anything even remotely stupid. Instead, he had painted a large, detailed image of the missing Eternal Implement, Washington D. C., onto Arthur's face.

The tip of the watch- where the chain was attached- was at Arthur's forehead, making a point just as it disappeared behind his bangs, and the bottom- where the Spade outline curved into itself- was painted onto his chin. It was outlined in a bright yellow color, just as the real Eternal Implement was made of gold, and the inside where the clock face was had been drawn in black. The bigger arrow was pointed at '12' and the smaller at '6'. The parts of his face the watch wasn't painted onto- mostly his upper cheeks and forehead- was completely covered in a dark purple color similar to the shade of the jacket he had been wearing earlier.

He touched his face in wonder; he didn't look anything like his normal self at all. It was really astounding what Alfred had done. Even though the painted watch wasn't anywhere near professional, he had gotten every detail about Washington correct, right down to the sapphires on the arrows and the distinct script of the numbers.

"Alfred…" he said, at lost of what to say.

"Isn't it great?" Alfred asked, peering around the mirror. "The idea just hit me, and I was like, I totally have to do that for Arthur! I thought it was something you would like!" he beamed, and Arthur felt warmth grow inside his chest. Alfred really was thoughtful when he wanted to be.

"It truly is something. But do you know what this is?" he asked, pointing at the image on his face.

"Yeah, it's the King's Eternal Implement. Rica told me about it."

"So you do know…but how did you get it so exact? It looks like you studied the watch personally it's so perfect!"

"I…found an image of it in the Library?" he said, sounding unsure.

"Are you sure?" Arthur pressed, his eyes narrowing. "You haven't actually seen the watch, have you?"

"Of course not!" Alfred protested. "Anyways, it's missing right? How would I get it?"

"My point exactly."

"Jeesh, c'mon. The watch went missing before I even showed up here, remember?"

"How do you know that?" Arthur asked.

"Rica told me. Besides, how would I even know where to find it? I _still_ get lost in the Castle and I'm being watched all the time by your guards and Toris. There would be no way I could steal the thing, trust me."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, your reasoning is sound." Arthur confessed. That watch was just one of many serious issues on his hand. The thing wasn't even his yet he knew he would be in trouble if he didn't find it soon. There were only so many places it could be, after all.

"Okay, now that we've got that cleared up, it's my turn!" Alfred said, practically jumping in his seat. "You get to paint my face now!"

"I can't make any promises that it'll look nice; I'm rubbish at art." Arthur warned him. Maybe he would get off the hook if Alfred knew just how bad he was as far as art went.

"I don't care about that! Just try your best; I'm sure I'll look awesome no matter what!" he looked at Arthur hopefully and he sighed. Was this boy ever unhappy? Or was he always this joyful no matter the situation?

"Alright, it's your face," Arthur murmured. He gave Alfred the pallet to hold and dipped the tip of his index finger into the yellow. He thought for a moment about what he should do, but then he moved- almost as if of his own accord- and began to paint.

Alfred had painted him Washington, so he would just have to paint him the watch's counterpart: London.

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing or do I get to be surprised?" Alfred asked, twitching slightly when the paint touched his skin.

"I think I'll let you try to figure it out on your own," Arthur said. "You're a smart lad, I'm sure you can do it. And- for Ace's sake- stop moving! I'm hardly a master at this; you moving will not help me." Alfred had made a face, his brow furrowing. It had smudged what little paint Arthur had already put on.

"Sorry," Alfred apologized. "I'll try and keep still."

Arthur snorted. "I'd like to see you try. Every time I see you you're always moving; you never stop. Even when you stand still you are constantly moving your hands or tapping your feet. Are you ever calm?"

Alfred smirked. "So you _do_ watch me."

He wacked the other lightly on the head. "Don't be a git, Alfred. I'm trying to be nice to you, in case you haven't noticed."

"Okay, okay, I guess I deserved that. But I can totally be calm when I want to be! You should've seen me in Hearts; I did like nothing all day except take care of the horses in the Stables. Kiku said I was the laziest person in the entire Kingdom." He let out a laugh, eyes still closed. His expression had warmed considerably at the mention of his friend, Arthur noted with some annoyance.

"Kiku Honda…he is interesting to say the least." Arthur said dryly. He blurred the colors around the edges of Alfred's face, careful not to get any of it in his hair.

"Yeah, he is. Probably one of the weirdest guys you'll ever meet though! You think he's all quiet and innocent but then you get to know him and BAM! He's like a completely different person!" he grinned, white teeth standing out against tan skin.

"You know him well, then?" Arthur asked curiously. How exactly had Alfred and Kiku met? What was their connection and why did the Queen care so much for him?

"Mhm," Alfred hummed. "Been best friends since like forever. We met when we were like six or something and ever since then we were- how do you say it?- it was like we were connected at the hip. He's the family I never had."

"What happened to your parents?" Arthur said.

"Uh, according to Mattie they died a while ago. Mom in childbirth, and Dad a few years later in Diamonds. I was left in Hearts to defend for myself." He shrugged.

"Ah, yes, I recall that Frog mentioning something like that to me a few years ago." Arthur recalled. He had almost forgotten that Alfred was Matthew's brother and therefore had the same parents. But, it was strange. Alfred should have been either a Diamond or a Spade, according to his parents' heritage. Yet he was a Heart. He frowned. There was something odd there.

"Yeah. I always kinda wished that I had parents," Alfred said, distracting him. "But after I met Kiku I was fine. And then he became Queen and we met Ludwig and Feli and everything was amazing. I was never happier after those first few months."

"Ludwig is the name of your King?" he asked, not quite remembering or wanting to. The only reason he had asked was to keep the conversation flowing. Alfred nodded, oblivious to Arthur's discomfort.

"And how does that Italian come into the mix? Is he a friend of the King's?" Arthur asked.

"Feli? Well, yeah, Ludwig and him's always been close. I think they met while Feli was still working in the market selling tomatoes. Ludwig found him in a tomato box claiming to be the 'tomato fairy' or whatever the hell he said it was."

"The what?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tomato Fairy?"

"I know weird, right? But that's Feli; always happy go lucky and stuff. I don't think I've ever seen him sad."

"Much like you," Arthur noted, and Alfred's brow furrowed.

"I guess. But I don't have to act happy or anything because I normally am. Feli's different that way; he can be depressed and you would never know it. I'm the opposite. I don't hide stuff well."

"Does…does that mean you are truly happy right now? Here in Spades?" Arthur asked timidly. He could feel his heart in his chest beating fast as he waited for the answer.

"…yeah. Yeah, I think I am." Was Alfred's honest reply, shocking Arthur. "As much as I hate being put under watch and having to do chores, Spades isn't _that_ bad."

"You- you mean it?" he stuttered.

"Of course! I've never really been anywhere but Hearts and I've always wanted to see the rest of the Kingdoms. Even though I don't really have a choice in the matter, I still like learning about Spades and how it's different from Hearts. And I've met tons of new friends. I just wish this could've happened under more peaceful circumstances."

"You don't want war?" Arthur asked, carefully watching his face as he waited for his reaction.

"No. Why would I ever want that?" Alfred asked, his tone becoming defensive.

"Well, I just assumed- since you are from the war Kingdom-"

"Just because I'm from Hearts doesn't mean that I or any of my friends approve of war!" Alfred said sharply. His posture had gone rigid and Arthur was sure that he would be glaring at him if his eyes were open. "War means death and death can only bring suffering to those whose loved ones have departed. The only reason why we train as hard as we do is to prevent more deaths from occurring, _not_ the other way around."

Arthur quickly backtracked, realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you. I promise. I'm only trying to understand the world you were brought up into."

There was a tense pause, and then Alfred slumped forward.

"Yeah, I know you didn't mean it that way," he said with a heavy sigh. "I just don't take well to people insulting my Kingdom. None of us do, really."

"What do you mean?"

"Hearts are really, really loyal to each other." Alfred explained. "Even if we hate the other guy's guts, if he's a Heart, it's your duty to do everything in your power to protect him, no matter what the cost."

"Is that why you agreed to take your friend's place at the Gathering?" Arthur asked. He remembered that night vividly; the fear and horror that his Kingdom would perish, the frustration and anger when he realized who would do it, and the relief after taking Alfred under his wing. It had all happened so quick…

"I would save Feli any day," Alfred answered. "Hearts is his home, while I…" he hesitated.

"While you what?"

"While I can adapt better." He said. "I wanted to know and see the other Kingdoms. On the other hand, Hearts is pretty much the only option for Feliciano. He belongs there, you know?"

"Don't you belong there too? You are their Jack, correct?" Arthur asked.

"I guess…but, like I said, I'm different."

"You are special," Arthur added dryly, remembering the word from one of their first conversations together.

Alfred's grin faded, his expression becoming somber. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah." He said, sounding somewhat defeated. "Special."

-o0o-

_Spades Capital Town_

"I totally thought you weren't coming!" Alfred cried, ecstatic. He crushed Matthew to him, hugging him as tight as humanly possibly while the other flailed in his arms. "When did you get here?"

"A few hours ago," Matthew gasped, trying to breathe.

"Why didn't you tell me, man? I've been here for ages; you should've seen me at one point or another!" Alfred said, keeping an arm around his shoulder. He beamed at his brother. He couldn't believe Matthew was here! Could this night get any better?

"I didn't recognize you until just now," Matthew admitted. "You look different with the face paint." He gestured at Alfred's face. "Is that a clock that someone painted on your face?"

"Yeah, isn't it neat? Arthur did it for me!" Alfred said. "And he said he couldn't paint! I think he did great!"

"Arthur did that?" Matthew asked. "As in Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades?"

"Duh," Alfred rolled his eyes. "Who else do I know whose name is Arthur?"

"No, I'm just surprised is all. I didn't think England would be the type to do something like that."

"He's not," Alfred said with a grin. "I just got him to do it 'cause _I_ painted _his _face."

"I'm not even going to ask." Matthew said with a sigh. "But that does explain why I didn't recognize either of you; I started to think that you had left the party early."

"As if!" he scoffed. "I get a ton of awesome food and to have fun! Why would I ever leave early?"

Matthew shrugged. "Where is the Queen anyway? He's not with you, is he?"

Alfred paused, trying to think over the loud noise from the crowd and music. "Uh, well, after the face painting thing, I think I got something to eat-"

"You _think_ you got something to eat?" Matthew cut in with a smile. "Is this the same food obsessed Alfred or some stranger in my brother's body?"

Alfred ignored him. "-I got food, and then we talked some more, and then we danced a ton-"

"You got _Arthur Kirkland_ to _dance_ with you?" he asked incredulously.

Alfred scowled at his brother's shocked expression. "That's what I said. Why? You don't think I can dance or something?" He felt a little insulted; he was a great dancer. He would just have to show Matthew later how great he was-

"No, no, it's not that!" Matthew said. "It's just; I've never really seen England dance. At all. Not once in all of the years I've known him has he danced unless he was forced to."

"Well I didn't force him, if that's what you're saying." Alfred said, folding his arms.

"No, Al," Matthew said. "I'm just saying that I'm surprised. I wonder what's different now from all of those other times where he could have danced for fun but didn't."

Alfred shifted uncomfortably. The answer was obvious; it was him. Alfred hadn't been at any of the other dance things with Arthur, but he was here now. And on both occasions- the Gathering and now- Arthur had been comfortable dancing with Alfred. In fact both then and now, they had stuck to each other like glue, hardly parting for more than a few minutes. But why was that? Why were they so friendly towards each other when they should be enemies?

He shook the dark thoughts off. He would worry about this stuff later; right now he was at a party with his brother. He be having fun, not sulking off in a corner.

"Doesn't really matter." He said. "I mean, it's just dancing right?"

"I guess." Matthew said. "We'll have to try dancing together later though. I want to see if you are really as good as you say you are."

"Challenge accepted!" Alfred said and they shook hands, both smiling from ear to ear.

"Why did you tell Arthur you couldn't come though?" He asked after they separated.

"Francis told me that I couldn't go and that I needed to pack." Matthew said. "But then he surprised me by coming into my room and telling me that we were _both_ going to the party."

Alfred frowned. "Francis is here too? What made him change his mind?"

"He said something along the lines of, 'we are going to have at least one night of fun in this 'orrible place even if I get killed for it!'" Matthew imitated his King with a small laugh.

"Did he seriously say that?" Alfred asked, grinning. Francis was so weird with his accent and food taste. Thank god Matthew wasn't like that.

"He did! But I didn't care; I was just happy I could get here and surprise you. It's just too bad we found each other later rather than sooner…"

"That's life." Alfred shrugged. "Nothing works out the way you expect it to. By the way, where is France? Did he go off somewhere?"

"I think he went to get a drink a little bit ago. Wait- why are you smiling?" Matthew asked.

"Arthur went to go get a drink a while ago while I stocked up on some more food." He gestured at the table behind him before turning back to Matthew. "Wanna bet that they ran into each other?" he asked mischievously.

Matthew's indigo eyes widened. "You think?"

"Yeah! C'mon, let's go see!" he grabbed his arm and dragged Matthew behind him. This was great! It was like a secret spy mission thing; they were following in their parents footsteps! Kinda. Well, not really but it was still cool!

They pushed their way through the crowd and to the high table where the stronger drinks were being served. It was surrounded by people ranging from slightly tipsy to passed out in the bushes a little way off. The noise was almost unbearably loud now, and both of the teenagers cringed. Alfred had never really been interested in alcohol, although Ludwig loved his beer. He could only assume Matthew was the same.

"Do you see them?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"No, but I think I hear Arthur." The both listened intently. Alfred could just barely make out Arthur's stuttering voice among the countless others. He didn't sound quite coherent though, which wasn't a good thing.

"Alright, let's go," Alfred muttered and moved forward. Matthew gave a startled exclamation and then ran after him, grabbing onto his sleeve so that they wouldn't be separated by the crowd.

"Excuse me, excuse me, coming through, EXCUSE me-" Alfred said loudly. He shoved people out of the way, forcibly making a path to the front. The voices got louder as they got closer and he could soon make out one specific angry conversation from the rest. The speakers didn't sound to happy.

With one last push, he stumbled into the bar table with Matthew crashing into him from behind. He grunted out loud, wincing slightly while his brother made quick apologizes. He waved Matthew's apologizes away with a wave of his hand and looked around for the two people they had come here for.

"Over there," he said, catching a glimpse of messy blonde hair and thick eyebrows.

"Where?" Matthew asked, and Alfred pointed at the other side of the table where two figures slumped over the wood, each speaking with slurred words and grasping glasses filled to the brim with amber liquid.

"You just don't understand, do you?" Alfred heard Arthur slur as they neared. "You are a Frog because…well…because," his brow furrowed as if he had forgotten what he was about to say. Suddenly he sat up straight, saying loudly, "Because you are a Frog, that's why!"

"I do not think that qualifies, my friend," Francis said, his eyes glazed. "You are not making sense."

"I- I make perfect bloody sense alright!" Arthur hollered at him. He struggled to slide off of the seat. "You're just a bloody Frog- and- and- and that's why-"

"Okay, Iggy, I think you've had enough drinks there." Alfred said hastily, finally arriving next to the Queen. He tried to gently pull the cup away from him and Arthur glared at him through heavy lidded eyes.

"Iggy?" Francis asked. Alfred could tell he was more somber than Arthur, as he could still form a coherent sentence. That, or Arthur was really bad at holding his liquor.

"My sname's isn't Iggs!" Arthur said, leaning heavily on Alfred now that he wasn't sitting anymore. "It's Arthur Tudor-!"

"No, I know for a fact that's wrong." Alfred cut in. "That's definitely not your last name."

"You don't know me! I- I- I could do it you know! I really could!" he babbled. He waved his hands wildly at Alfred while the threesome stared at him.

"What did he just say?" Matthew asked from behind Francis.

"It is hard to tell," Francis said with a shrug. "But he hardly makes any sense even when sober, no?"

"I make perfect bloody sense-!"

"I've heard that before." Alfred said, folding his arms. He frowned at Arthur, wondering how he was going to be able to drag him back to the Castle. Who knew the Queen could get drunk so quickly? But he guessed it had to do with tolerance level and that kind of stuff. He sighed. He would have to give Arthur a piggy back ride the way things were going.

"Excuse me, sir."

Alfred turned around to see two large men standing in front of him, shoulder to shoulder. The one who hadn't spoken had his arms crossed, and Alfred noted the muscles warily. These guys could pack some serious punch if someone were stupid enough to get into a fight with them.

"Is there something the matter?" Matthew stepped forward next to him so that they blocked out the view of the two tipsy Royals.

"Yes, there is actually." Said the first one. He glanced between the twins at Arthur and Francis, who waved suggestively at him. Alfred saw a vein throb on his temple and inwardly sighed. This was not going to be pretty.

"Your- ah- _friends_ are causing quite a commotion." The burly man continued to say while his partner remained silent. Alfred frowned and realized for the first time how rowdy the surrounding crowd was. Even more were shuffling forward, trying to get to the front to get more drinks. Some were more impatient than others. A fight could easily break out.

"Are we?" came Francis' answer from behind them. "What do you think, _Iggy_? I didn't think we were being that bad, compared to first time we met."

He laughed loudly, making him sound less somber than before. Arthur murmured something incoherent, his cheek pressed into Francis' shoulder and his eyes only half open. Alfred felt Matthew grimace beside him and grit his teeth.

"We need to ask you to leave this area now, sir, if you please." Man number one said sternly. "We don't want there to be any problems."

"Problems?" Arthur said suddenly, way too loud to be considered normal. He attempted to stand up, but stumbled into Alfred's back instead. "What problems are you referring to, exactly-?" he slumped forward and Alfred had to lurch forward in time to catch him before he hit the ground.

The men exchanged a look as if to say 'I told you so'. Alfred scowled, struggling to help Arthur stand upright. They were going to have to leave. That much was obvious.

"Uh, we'll go now," he assured them. Matthew nodded ferociously beside him.

"Glad to hear it." The man said.

"Well you can go anywhere you want, _Jack of Hearts_." Arthur said, trying to wrestle his way out of Alfred's grip. "But I'm staying put! I refuse to leave!" he declared.

Alfred jerked away from Arthur as if stung. The comment 'Jack of Hearts' had surprised and – to an amazingly large degree- hurt him. Who cares if he was a Heart? Matthew was a Diamond, Toris was an ex-Club, and Rica was a Spade, but they all seemed to get along well enough. Yet Arthur still saw him as a Heart. And that emotionally hurt him more than he would care to admit. Why couldn't everyone just exist as who they were- friends, family, and acquaintances- instead of what Tattoo they bore?

Meanwhile, the men were not amused or impressed by Arthur's explanation.

"You have to leave, sir. You do not have a choice in the matter."

"I have all the choices in the world! I'm the Spades of Queens and this here is the Frog of Diamonds-" he gestured in Francis' general direction and in return the Diamond waggled his eyebrows at them.

"Dear god," Matthew muttered, covering his face with his hand to hide his shame.

"Alright, you four will need to be escorted away from here-" they moved forward together, probably with the intent of dragging them away from the bar. However, before they could, a flare of anger rose up inside of Alfred and he moved so that he blocked their path.

"Alfred?" he heard Arthur shift behind him, but refused to budge. He locked eyes with the men and a moment of understanding passed between them; they would not get to Arthur unless they went through Alfred first.

The men made similar faces of confusion; obviously they had never been challenged before. The silent one reached out to force Alfred out of the way, and that was when things went terribly wrong.

As the man reached out to grab Alfred's arm, the teenager was suddenly yanked backwards out of harm's way by Matthew. Alfred stumbled backwards into his brother, and Arthur appeared suddenly with the glass of alcohol in his hand. He swung it towards the man with a loud cry, a wild look in his eyes that was almost alarming to Alfred as he watched, the whole scene slowing as if time had decided to stop. The man saw the glass and ducked in time to avoid being hit, but the liquid flew out of its cup and into his partner's eyes. He blindly staggered into another man walking behind him, bringing both of them to the ground with a large crash. They in turn caused several others nearby to fall or trip into more Townsfolk, creating a domino effect throughout the crowd.

By the time the minute was up, a disaster unlike anything Alfred had ever seen was spreading throughout the party and into the Town square. The entire place was in disorder; cries of surprise rose in a load roar and food as well as beer flew into the air. Soon everyone was involved in the biggest and most strange fight Alfred had ever seen; people were chucking food, paint, beer and even water from a nearby bucket at each other for the sole purpose of getting the person that had hit them first. It was like a huge food fight gone wild.

"Is this really happening?" Matthew yelled in Alfred's ear as the pair crouched under a nearby table.

"I think so!" he yelled back as he searched the crowd. A little bit off he could see Francis and Arthur teamed up, throwing fist sized chunks of cake at a group of servants a few feet away. One well aimed throw from Arthur, and a lump of cake landed in the middle of a boy's face.

"Haha! That's how we do it in the Empire!" Arthur cried triumphantly as the boy fell backwards. He swayed as he stood, cheeks flushed and green eyes wide. Despite being pretty wasted, he still was able to put up a fight.

"Damnit!" Alfred muttered. It was his responsibility to watch after Arthur, even if the Queen was only half aware of what he was doing at the moment. He had to get him out of here before he hurt himself accidently. Alfred ran out from underneath the table, ducking a glob of paint on the way to Arthur and Francis. Matthew was right at his heels.

"There you two are!" Francis said. "We were wondering where you had gone! Matthew, come and help your elder brother-"

"He's not your brother," Alfred snarled, just as Arthur leaped forward, saving him from getting hit by a handful of red paint.

"Arthur-!" he said in alarm when he saw the stain of red across the Royal's previously clean shirt. He had to blink several times to convince himself that it was only paint, and not blood sliding down Arthur's chest.

"Hey, you!" Arthur hollered at whoever had tried to get Alfred. "Yes, you sir, with the pathetic frilly hat on! Don't you dare touch my Heart! He's my prisoner, understood? Property of the Spades-"

"Arthur, god, stop it." He hissed, his cheeks flaming. He was a Heart, but not _Arthur's_ heart. That just made it seem like they were a couple or something, which was totally not true.

"Alfred? Alfred is that you?"

He turned to see Toris running over to them, clothes covered in stains from food and paint. His brown hair clung to his head, dripping wet and he was carrying a plate to shield him from flying debris. He was smiling though as he reached them, so he probably wasn't too angry at the state the party had taken.

"Toris?" Alfred said, keeping a firm hold on Arthur to keep him from running off. "What's up?"

"I need to ask you- wait. Is that the Queen?" he gestured at Arthur. Alfred saw his lip twitch in amusement and winced.

"Yeah, it is," he said sheepishly. He tugged on Arthur's sleeve, forcing him to fall backwards with a yelp into Alfred.

"Shouldn't he be getting back to the Castle? It's late and people might start to notice…" Toris coughed lightly, before saying, "…people as in the Jack?"

Alfred's eyes widened and he groaned. "Yao! I completely forgot about him! He's gonna chop my head off if I don't get Arthur back soon! And he already doesn't like me, you know!"

Toris nodded. "My thoughts exactly. You should leave before Arthur's absence is noticed."

"Yao is git," Arthur murmured sluggishly as he pulled on Alfred's arm. "And you, you're a git, and you're a git, and- and- and he's a Frog-" he pointed at each of them in turn before pointing at Francis who had Matthew locked in a battle against the servants he and Arthur were fighting with previously.

"Is he-?"

"Drunk? Yeah, I would say so." Alfred said. "C'mon, Artie. Let's get out of here-"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! I don't want to go!" he wailed. He half-heartedly hit Alfred's arms, trying to stop the teenager from pulling him away to no effect.

"Mattie!" Alfred yelled, ignoring Arthur's cries. Matthew stopped throwing lumps of food at the servants and looked back.

"I'm gonna go and take Arthur back, alright? I'll see you tomorrow!" he spoke over the noises of the crowd- which was still having an all out food fight battle- and Matthew nodded, waving once before turning back to Francis.

Alfred grinned, happy that Matthew was having fun, before Arthur dragged him out of his thoughts. Arthur was pulling on his arm so hard that half of his shirt was coming off, and he was hunched over from the weight of the Royal.

"Arthur," he said, trying not to get angry. "We have to go now." Arthur shook his head furiously, and tears began to form in his eyes much to Alfred's horror.

"Arthur- oh, c'mon, don't do that-" he crouched down on the pavement, trying to protect him from the food and water flying through the air as well as talk to him. "We have to get back. I know you like it here-"

Arthur sniffed loudly. "I'm not going back. Never." He crossed his arms and glared. Alfred sighed. It was like trying to talk sense into a five year old. Well, Alfred had done that before and he had learned from experience there was only one way you could get a kid to do what you wanted. You had to threaten them.

"Alright, if that's what you want." Alfred said, and Arthur blinked. He made to stand up but Arthur grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stay hunched over.

"Wha- where are you going?" Arthur asked.

"I'm leaving," he replied, as if the answer was obvious. "You can stay here as long as you want, but I'm going back to the Castle. If you want to stay you can but you're going to be alone." He paused, waiting for the word to sink in.

"You're going to leave me?" Arthur's words were half-whispered now, horror setting in. Alfred held back a small triumphant smile; no one liked to be abandoned. Especially someone like Arthur.

"No, I'm letting you choose what you want to do." He said. Yeah right. Arthur would as good as follow Alfred out of Town as long as he wouldn't be alone. "You can either come with me or stay here. Alone."

Arthur's hand clenched around Alfred's sleeve, and he bit his lip. Alfred could practically see Arthur thinking over his options, trying to decide what to do. Alfred pulled gently on his sleeve, straightening up and taking a step away from him. Arthur automatically lurched forward, grabbing onto Alfred like he was the sole life line on the planet. Alfred chuckled.

"You're coming with me then?" he asked as he led them away from the Town Square.

"Y- yes," Arthur said. His voice sounded small. His grip tightened on Alfred's arm. "I don't want to be alone." He whispered.

Alfred immediately felt guilty.

"Don't worry, Arthur." He said, hugging the smaller male. "You won't be alone. Not while I'm here." He felt Arthur nod into his shoulder, sniffing loudly.

Alfred sighed, and looked upwards at the stars. What had he gotten himself into?

-o0o-

_No-Man's-Land_

"Okay, I think I've got it!" Gilbert said suddenly. He slammed the book in his lap shut, and Peter looked up from the other side of the small clearing at the loud noise.

"Gil? What is it?" he asked.

"I know what our next move is going to be!" Gilbert said excitedly. Peter looked at the book in his friend's hands and back to his face with a frown. What was he going on about?

"What do you mean? Did you find something in the Plan?"

Gilbert nodded, a grin forming. "Hearts is making their first move towards war."

Peter sat up straighter. "What? How do you know?"

"It says so right here," Gilbert opened the book, pointing to a part of the script and Peter scrambled over to see what he was talking about. He quickly read the print, his eyes widening.

"According to this," he said out loud to make sure he understood it right. "Hearts is going to try to form an alliance with Clubs to help them out in the war? But why? They don't need any extra military power."

Gilbert shrugged. "_Ja_, but they don't have enough manpower to go up against both Diamonds and Spades. An alliance with Clubs would guarantee more soldiers to fight on their side."

"But why would Clubs agree to the alliance? What's in it for them?" he asked, confused. He was still just a kid, after all even if he was a Joker. He didn't get all of this politician stuff. He left that part up to Gilbert to explain to him.

"They wouldn't." Gilbert said, sitting cross legged in the grass. "That's the point. But Hearts can't fight the war without their help."

"So…we have to get Clubs to form an alliance with Hearts if we want the war to happen?" Peter asked and Gilbert nodded. "But how are we going to do that? Clubs doesn't want anything from Hearts."

"Exactly. We have to give Clubs a reason to _want _to go to war with Spades and Diamonds. That way they would have to team up with Hearts because Hearts has the weapons, but Clubs has the people."

"They would make the perfect team." Peter realized out loud. They would have a fighting chance against Spades and Diamonds if they could work together. The only problem was, how were they going to do it?

"Think about it, Sea." Gilbert said. "What does Spades have that's the whole reason the war's going to happen in the first place?"

Peter was silent for a moment, brow furrowed. Then his eyes flew open and realization dawned on him.

"Of course. The Wild Card." He said and received a mischievous smile from the ex-Heart next to him.

"There you go, kid. If Spades has the Wild Card, Spades will be most powerful out of all four Suits," Gilbert said. "That's reason enough for any Kingdom to go to war. They all want to be on top, after all. If only Spades realized his potential; he's almost as powerful as an Ace."

"I know," Peter said. He looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists. True, he wanted this. The Wild Card was going to change everything, and everyone's lives- including his own- would be better after the war. But that didn't mean he couldn't resent Alfred for being able to be close to his jerk of a brother, Arthur, in a way that he never could. From their friendship would come a new age, but that didn't mean he couldn't be jealous.

If everything went as it should Alfred Jones and his brother would be….

"So, that means we have to tell the Clubs and Hearts Triumvirate that Alfred Jones is in fact the Wild Card." Gilbert was saying.

"Alright," Peter said. "I guess I'll go visit Russia then…" he sighed. "I hate that guy. He's so creepy." He repressed a shudder.

"Trust me, kid. I know." Gilbert gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just grin and bear it. It's for the greater good."

-o0o-

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

Chinese Proverb


	14. Chapter 13, Spades Castle

**7/1/2012 **

**Sooooo, long time no see, eh? Sorry guys, I took a break for a little while. I didn't have any time to write at all but I'm back now and updates should get better. Thank you to everyone who waited paciently for me to update; your support helps so much, you have no idea!**

**Thank you again to my wonderful beta reader, waterbringer, who helps me with all of my grammar and spelling mistakes. Also, I have fanart! Someone named ScarletteDiscord on DeviantArt drew and colored a beautiful picture of Alfred! Please go check out my profile for the link; I swear it's worth checking out!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Queen's Room_

"Let me through."

"Tell me what you are doing with the Queen, and I will gladly let you pass."

Alfred scowled up at the guard. "I already told you. I'm taking him inside his room. That's not even remotely suspicious."

"I'm more worried about what you are going to do to him once you have him alone," the guard replied, folding his arms.

"Like what? Stab him or something? You're going to be standing right outside the door; I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to!" Alfred protested. "And secondly, I would never try to hurt Arthur! I swear, honest!"

The guard didn't say anything. He narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze to the drunken Arthur who was leaning heavily on the teenager, one arm draped across Alfred's shoulder, eyes half closed. Alfred waited anxiously for his reply and shifted his position so the Queen wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Why should I trust you?" the guard finally asked. "You're one of _them_, aren't you? A Heart?"

Alfred blinked. "You know who I am?" Strange, he didn't recognize this specific man from the night of the Gathering…

"I've heard the rumors. And I have a friend who served that night they captured you."

"Oh."

"And that's exactly why I don't trust you not to hurt the Queen. As a royal guard it is my duty to protect the Triumvirate at all costs-"

"Yeah, but honestly dude, it's just you and me all alone in this hallway. Plus England, but he doesn't count 'cause he's pretty much out of it. If I really wanted to harm him, I could have done it ages ago and killed you too for good measure." The guard's eye twitched and Alfred smiled pleasantly.

"I still don't-"

"Alfred?" Arthur's slurred voice was quiet, but the guard immediately fell silent.

"One moment please," he said to the guard, deciding to be overly polite just for the sake of being annoying.

"Yeah, Artie? What is it?" he asked the Queen quietly. Arthur pulled on his sleeve, staring up at him through heavy lidded green eyes.

"I want to go home," Arthur whimpered. Alfred felt a twinge in his chest, feeling guilty for no real reason- he wasn't the one keeping the drunkard away from his room- and he saw the guard wince out of the corner of his gaze.

"Alright, ok, fine. You can leave the Queen with me, and then go. I'll let you off the hook this time, but only because…" his voice trailed off as he watched Arthur, who had a lost, pitiful look on his face.

"That's fine, dude. That's all I wanted in the first place, anyways." Alfred tried to unhook Arthur from around his arm and hand him over to the guard, but he only clung harder to Alfred's clothes, refusing to budge.

"W-what are you doing?" he stuttered.

"I'm handing you over to Mr. - uh, what's your name, again?" Alfred turned to the guard.

"Simon Amuls."

"- yeah, Mr. Amuls here is going to take you inside for a nice rest, okay?" He felt like he was talking to a five year old.

"You're coming too, right?" Arthur tugged on his sleeve again.

"Well, uh-"

"No, you have to come. You _have_ to, you promised!" Arthur's voice rose in volume. "You said you wouldn't leave me alone!" His lip wobbled and his eyes went glossy.

"Well, I would love to come," Alfred managed to say. "But Mr. Amuls thinks that it would be inappropriate seeing that I could possibly kill you in your sleep or something like that."

"But you would never try to hurt me!" Arthur said, echoing Alfred's previous words.

"My point exactly." He looked pointedly at the guard who clenched his teeth.

"Why you little-"

"You, there, Mr. Amuls or whatever the bloody hell it is." Arthur glared at the guard and he stood a little straighter. "You _will_ let him in. No- no excuses." He slumped forward a bit and Alfred pulled him back again. Arthur went back to leaning heavily on the teenager's shoulder, eyes closed.

Alfred coughed lightly. "So, uh, can we pass?" he asked. The guard was practically seething, but he moved to the side and allowed the pair to stumble past. At the last second he reached out and grabbed Alfred's upper arm.

"Hey-!" He tried to jerk out of the tight grip.

"I meant what I said before," the guard warned. "Don't try _anything_. I will not hesitate to kill you."

Alfred scowled. "Let go," he snarled and the other finally released his hold. Alfred limped into the shadowy room that was supposed to belong to the Queen, not looking back. The door slammed shut behind them.

There was no light; all of the windows were either covered up or non-existent. He blinked several times, trying to get used to the sudden darkness. For a while there was nothing but the low noise of Arthur's light breathing. He took a hesitant step forward, then another when he didn't stumble into anything.

"You know, it would be really awesome if we had some light in here right now," he said out loud.

He wasn't expecting a response, but suddenly the corners of the room near the ceiling started to glow. Eventually it brightened enough to reveal a room of impressive size, furnished comfortably and covered from head to toe in the cool shades of blue and purple. There were several doorways along the walls, and he could only guess as to what they led to.

Alfred dragged Arthur over to a couch near a towering bookcase and carefully laid him down before going off to explore. He found a private study littered with papers, a mini library companied with a table and tea set, a large gold and indigo bathroom, and finally a bedroom with a bed large enough to fit three people comfortably without any person getting too crowded.

He whistled out loud, impressed. "Wow, Artie. You really have yourself a big bedroom for only one person, you know that?"

He looked back over his shoulder to find that the Queen had his eyes closed. He had fallen asleep, or most likely passed out, in the short amount of time that Alfred had brought him into his room. Alfred shook his head, wondering what he should do now. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking around once more.

"I guess I should clean you up first before I drag you to bed," he said to Arthur, even though the other couldn't hear him. "You look kinda creepy with all of that paint still on your face." He reached down and flicked a blond bang away from Arthur's closed eyes, smiling slightly. By now the paint that he had so carefully applied onto the Queen's face was smudged, making him look strangely alien in the blue light.

Another interesting part of the master bedroom was the number of clocks hanging on the walls or resting on the furniture. There were even miniature clocks etched into the bars of soap in the bathroom, Alfred was surprised to find out when he went in search of something that would get rid of the paint. He wondered why clocks were so important to the Spades Kingdom when it was clear how much they valued education and learning above all else. How did the two ideas tie together? He made a mental note to ask Toris about it while he tried to rub the paint out of Arthur's hair.

After he was satisfied with the job he had done cleaning off the paint, he rummaged around the dressers in one of the side rooms until he found something for Arthur to get changed into. He shook Arthur, whom he had let sleep until now, by the shoulder, trying to get him to wake up.

"Arthur, you gotta get changed now. I can't do _everything_ for you," he joked. He received a groan in response, but after a bit of prodding he was able to get the Royal to go into the bathroom alone and change.

Alfred took the free time to wash the cracking paint off of his own face in another bathroom, separate from the one Arthur was in. He rubbed at his skin until he could see the peachy color underneath. Soon enough he was able to recognize his face in the mirror; cheeks red from the days he worked outside and clear blue eyes tired from lack of sleep. He stared at his reflection for a while, unsure of what to do. Should he leave now while he had the chance? Or would it be better to wait for Arthur to come out and make sure he was alright before going?

In the end he decided to wait in Arthur's bedroom; Arthur would tell Alfred if he wanted him to leave. Until then Alfred sat on the bed, legs crossed, hands in lap as he looked around the room. He was still in awe from the sheer size of the whole place, but when he thought back to his time in Hearts, Kiku and Ludwig's rooms had been equally as large. The main difference he supposed was that Kiku's room had less furniture, and what he did have was smaller and closer to the ground. That and of course everything here was blue and purple while in Hearts everything was in red and scarlet.

He looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Arthur standing in the doorway. He grinned, and Arthur glowered, green eyes bloodshot.

"So," Alfred said cheerfully as Arthur slowly made his way over. "How're you feeling? Better, I hope?"

Arthur just glared at him.

"Y'know, I hope this teaches you something about drinking," he continued. Arthur ignored the teenager and collapsed on the sheets next to him. Alfred was surprised that he wasn't ordered to leave but decided not to say anything. He didn't feel like getting up at the moment and would be completely fine if Arthur let him stay for a little while longer.

"How much did you and Francis drink anyway? You two were only alone for like, thirty minutes at most-"

"Shut up," Arthur groaned. He had his face buried into one of the white pillows, and his voice came out muffled. "My head is spinning right now and you are most certainly _not_ helping."

"What?" Alfred asked, offended. "Are you kidding me? I've done nothing but help you this entire night."

Arthur turned his face so he could look at him from the corner of one eye. "You are the one who got me into this situation in the first place."

"Well, I didn't know you were a drinker," he protested.

"Have you ever taken a moment to notice how very _noisy_ you are, Alfred?" Arthur said loudly and Alfred immediately shut his mouth, scowling.

They were quiet for a moment; Arthur had covered his face again, breathing slowly and evenly while Alfred sat next to him, arms folded and seething as he leaned against the back wall.

"Do you want me to go?" Alfred asked after a few minutes.

"Not if you don't want to," Arthur said quietly. "I- I'd rather not be alone, to be honest."

"I can stay? The night?" He was unsure of what Arthur exactly meant.

"If you want to," came the stifled reply. "By the time you get back to your room you will have to get up soon anyway to help Toris. If you stay here you won't have to get up early."

"Thanks," Alfred said, surprised. He hadn't thought of that. "Are you actually giving me an excuse to not work or something?"

"Call it what you wish, I don't care." Arthur rolled over, his back to Alfred, and pulled the sheets up around his chin. "Just do me a favor and try not to speak. You're giving me a headache."

He was about to retort that it was the drinks that were giving Arthur a headache and not Alfred, but held it back and fell silent. Arthur had a big day ahead of him tomorrow with the Diamonds Triumvirate leaving and a war on his hands. He didn't need an argument with Alfred to keep him up through the night.

As time passed, the lights from before began to dim and eventually there was hardly enough for him to make out the surrounding room. Arthur didn't snore- thank Ace- but Alfred could tell from the periodic rising and falling of his chest that he had fallen asleep. Alfred felt himself drift off for a small amount of time, but at last he found he couldn't properly sleep while he was sharing a bed with Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades of all people!

As quietly as he could, Alfred raised himself off of the bed and exited the room. He shut the door carefully behind himself, determined not to wake up Arthur.

He was surprised to find that the lights were bright in the main room. They must adjust to whoever is in the room at the time, he thought. As he looked around, a strange movement to his right caught his eye. He turned to see an odd bluish glow coming from the private study he had found earlier.

With a frown, he walked towards the study, keeping his gaze on the light. He could tell that it wasn't a normal glow from the ceiling lights because the shade was all wrong; the color was almost electric, reminding him of the weird beams the pocket watch gave off just before a vision. That, and the fact that the light seemed to pulse, increasing in intensity and throwing shadows around the room before dimming again.

The glow- or what was creating it- wasn't natural. Whatever that meant was a mystery to Alfred, but he felt his heart speed up in anticipation as he reached the threshold. He gazed around, and found that the light was coming from behind Arthur's desk.

The instant he took a step into the study, the ceiling lit up and the entire room was suddenly illuminated. Alfred blinked against the sudden brightness, wincing. When his eyes had refocused, the strange light from before had disappeared. The only light in the room now came from the ceiling, which was the wrong light he was looking for.

Curious, he walked around the desk. There was nothing there except some more books stacked on the ground. He turned around in a circle in case he had missed something, but halfway around his hand collided with a pile of paperwork on the desk. The papers scattered.

Alfred cursed. "Are you kidding me?" he groaned and leaned down. He looked down at the handwriting- Arthur's, no doubt- and groaned again. They were all out of order now! There was no way he was going to be able to put everything back without Arthur knowing he had been in here.

"Well, it's his fault for having a weird light in his study," he muttered and grabbed the last sheet of paper. He looked up from the papers in his hands and found himself staring at a painting of a clock etched into the flat side of the desk.

He inhaled sharply, almost falling backwards in surprise. The clock was beautiful, painted pure gold with Spade sapphires for its hands. It almost looked like a large version of his pocket watch, except for the curly designs on the clock's outline and inner face. And this clock's shape was a uniform circle, where his had the actual Spade shape.

He tilted his heads sideways, still staring at the image. "Weird," he said out loud. "It looks so real…" He reached out with one hand and gently ran his fingers over the clock's face.

There was a bright flash, and Alfred recoiled. This time he really did fall backwards onto the ground, and the papers flew upwards into the air. As the flash dimmed, there were two things he was aware of. The first was the sheets of paper falling around him like a bizarre snowfall. The second was the very real clock leaning against the now black desk.

He felt himself pale as he stared at the clock. It had been a painting a second ago, and now it was actually there in front of him. The desk had no evidence of any image painted onto its surface. Had he triggered some kind of reaction or spell that caused the painting to come to life? Or maybe…maybe it was the other way around.

"A clock hidden in a desk, disguised as a painting," Alfred said to himself with a smile. "Only you would think of something like that, Arthur." He leaned forward and lightly touched the clock's gold surface. He let out a relieved sigh when nothing happened.

"But why did you want to hide it?" he muttered, squinting at the sapphires and trying to tell if they were real or fake. Suddenly, his eyes flew open wide and he froze.

"Of course," Alfred breathed. "The only reason for Arthur to hide something would be if it's really valuable. And that can only mean that this is London, the Queen's Eternal Implement." He sat back on his heels and shook his head. "What're the odds of me finding it, huh? I bet you didn't expect me to discover your hiding place."

I wonder if it has the same powers as Washington, he thought to himself as he continued to study the clock. The only way to find out if this clock could give visions would be if he touched its face while it was glowing. It had to be the thing that was glowing before, so…would it still work if he touched it now while it was dormant? He twisted his mouth, thinking for a moment before shrugging. Might as well try and see what happens.

He reached out and touched the face of the clock, where its two hands met in the dead center.

Instantly, images began to flood into his mind like they had the night he discovered the locked room. In fact, they were the exact same images except there were slight alterations. The pictures were clearer, as if he had been looking through a fog before, and the colors were brighter. He could see the pupil's of Kiku's eyes as he stood on top of the hill at night, and every strand of bright curling red hair on Elizabeth Tudor's head. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as she turned her icy gaze on him, but he refused to glance away until the other person had called for her. The images blurred and he closed his eyes, waiting for the dizzying colors to settle.

He was in the stone room again, with the man clinging onto the woman on the floor while the child stood a little bit off. This time Alfred tried to pay closer attention to details, noting how the child shared the woman's blonde hair.

They must be mother and son, he thought as he looked back and forth between the pair. And that man- was he the father? Why was he crying? Was the woman so peaceful looking because she- had she died?

As he watched the family, the blond child looked up and he locked gazes with Alfred.

Alfred's reaction was automatic, and somewhere in the back corners of his mind, he felt his physical self jerk away from the large clock as if burned.

The images stopped the second he wasn't touching the Eternal Implement. The stone room and family went fuzzy and a moment later he was back in Arthur's study. He scrambled away from the clock as fast as he could and pain laced through his back when he crashed into a bookshelf. Several books fell down around him, and from the side of his eye, he saw a painting slide and fall to the ground.

There was silence after everything had stopped falling, and it was almost too quiet. Alfred held his breath as he waited to see if he had woken Arthur at all, but he didn't hear any movement in the main room. After a moment he allowed himself to breathe again. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the bookcase.

That child had the same exact green eyes as Arthur did. They both had the same shape, shade, everything.

There was no denying it; that vision was something that had happened to Arthur when he was younger. Alfred tried to think back to what Arthur had told him about his childhood; he had lived most of his life with his cousins because his father had left him and his brother Peter all alone after his mother had died.

That woman on the floor- she must have been Arthur's mother. How had she died? Probably an illness or something, but still, Arthur's dad had been devastated in the vision. Arthur, on the other hand, just looked scared. He probably didn't even realize what was happening at the moment…how sad. Alfred found himself wondering what was worse, growing up on the street without parents like himself, or living like Arthur had, knowing his family but also having been abandoned by all of them in some way or another.

He stood up slowly and gathered all of the books, careful to not touch London just in case he triggered more visions. After he had placed everything back in what he hoped was the right order, he walked over to the painting that had fallen. Lifting it back onto the wall, he realized that it was a portrait of Arthur and his family.

Yep and there they were. The woman with long blonde hair holding a smaller Arthur in her lap, while the crying man stood behind her, cradling an infant that could only be Peter. Both of the children had inherited their mother's hair color, but their eyebrows came from their father, who had darker hair than the other three. They all looked happier than Alfred had ever seen any of them; they were all smiles and crinkling eyes. Alfred stared at Arthur's father and realized that he had the same green eyes as his older son, though slightly darker. Peter on the other hand, had his mother's light blue. It must have been painted just before the woman's death, Alfred thought as he took a step back.

"Great, now I'm depressed." He sighed and crossed his arms. He looked around the room once more. Now what? His gaze fell back to London, and he frowned. What was he supposed to do with it? He didn't know any spells to reverse whatever had caused the clock to come out of the desk. Maybe if he just left it there Arthur wouldn't notice?

Ha, fat chance. Arthur noticed _everything_.

In the end, he decided to put London on top of the desk, and hopefully the Queen would just think that the spell had reversed on its own or something like that. But when he reached down to lift it up, he realized the clock was _much_ heavier than it looked. It took all of his strength just to raise it up onto the desk.

Alfred frowned as he looked down at the clock. Something was wrong, something wasn't right. The clock shouldn't be that heavy; the pocket watch had never been that heavy unless it was about to give a vision. The difference in size between the two shouldn't matter.

He sighed and unfolded his arms. Nothing made sense anymore. Just the fact that he could also use London was weird. Was it because he was the Wild Card? Or was it something else? Either way he needed to learn more about what being the Wild Card meant and why it was so important. Back in Hearts he hadn't even heard of the Wild Card. But here they had books; maybe there would be something in the Library-?

There it was- that blue from before. He blinked and focused his gaze back on the clock. It- it was glowing. He had been right from before; the electric blue that he had seen coming from this room had been from the clock. But that meant-

Suddenly the room flashed bright white, the glow exploding like a bomb. Alfred took a step back in shock- he hadn't even _touched_ the thing- but a second later he was swallowed up by the light.

The first thing he was aware of was the heat. It was hot, so hot; he could feel the warmth on his face as if he was standing in front of a fire. Smoke was everywhere, forcing him to double over and cough violently. He couldn't breathe. His eyes stung from the ash. He couldn't even hear anything because of the blood pounding in his ears.

He covered his hand over his mouth and nose, trying not to inhale the cinders falling from the sky. He squinted at his surroundings but all he could see were piles of cracked stone and broken boulders. He didn't recognize anything. Where was he?

Suddenly he heard voices. Alfred started and snapped his head towards the sound. Through the smoke he could make out the outlines of two people- men? Their voices were low pitched- standing on top of one of the piles. It sounded like they were arguing.

He stumbled forward. He knew that he wouldn't be able to communicate with them because he was in a vision, but he had to know what was going on and where he was. The clock had been heavy, which meant this was the future. Of course, his future hadn't been looking good lately but…this place looked like a war zone or something.

He froze and his eyes widened. War zone.

Oh no, he thought and his stomach dropped to the ground. Spades and Hearts, the prewar tension that was going on between the Kingdoms- this vision was about the war. This place…was this the aftermath of a battle?

He scrambled toward the voices, this time more desperate to find out the situation at hand. When he got close enough, the smoke cleared to reveal two injured and soot covered men facing each other against the blood tinted sky. Alfred felt himself go white when he saw who they were; he didn't need to hear their voices to recognize Arthur's dirty blond hair and Kiku's narrowed eyes.

Alfred sagged and leaned on an overturned tree trunk for support. The scenery spun around him in dizzying circles and he felt lightheaded. He couldn't tell if it was the fumes from the air that were making him feel this way, or if he was just in shock from the reality of the situation he was experiencing.

Distantly, he heard Arthur say, "-one who attacked! How is this in any way not your fault?"

"You took something from me. You are the one who attacked me and my family first. And I protect my family."

Alfred numbly stared at Kiku, who looked as emotionless as a statue. He was talking about Alfred, he had to be; Arthur had taken Alfred away from Hearts, and Kiku and Alfred had always considered themselves family. And in a way he was right. Arthur had attacked the Hearts Triumvirate that night after the Gathering. But why he had done so had always been a mystery….

Until tonight, that is, Alfred thought. If he could see this, there was a very good chance that Arthur- the true owner of London- had seen it too. That would explain most if not all of Arthur's actions up until this point. Why he had attacked them, why he wanted one of the Hearts Triumvirate as a prisoner…had he done all of that just to avoid war?

If so, his plan had completely and totally failed. Because of his actions, Arthur had ended up starting the very war he had tried to avoid. Alfred laughed once, humorlessly; he had finally gotten information on some of the questions he had wanted answers for so badly. Too bad they weren't the kind of answers he wanted.

Kiku was speaking again. "I did what I had to do, Arthur. You of all people should understand this."

"No, I don't. You didn't have to murder Yao and the Royal Deck, or my citizens. You could have at least spared the innocent-!"

Alfred flinched at Arthur's angry words. Was what he was saying true? Had Kiku really done all of that just to get Alfred back? There had to be something else; there was just no way Hearts would fight such a huge war only to retrieve a mere stable boy.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! I tried to negotiate with you, Arthur! But you refused to listen or even discuss treaties with us! And now it's too late. Now you pay for your foolishness and pride."

He knew what was coming before he even saw the gun. His breathing quickened as Kiku pulled the weapon out, and blood roared in his ears.

"Oh, god," he said as Kiku raised the gun. He was pointing it right between Arthur's eyes. He was going to shoot Arthur. He was going to hurt him. He was going to-

He was going to kill Arthur.

"No," Alfred heard himself whisper. "No. No, no, no- NO! ARTHUR! ARTHUR, RUN! STOP-!"

He was screaming at the top of his lungs, yelling so loud that it actually hurt his throat. He was suddenly sprinting forward as fast as he could, not caring that it was only a vision and that this wasn't really happening right now. All he could focus on was the fact that Arthur was about to die. And that. Couldn't. Happen. He had to save Arthur. There was no other alternative, no other option possible. _Arthur couldn't die_; Alfred refused to let it happen-

He saw Kiku's finger tighten on the trigger, heard the shot just as he reached the base of the pile the two were standing on-

"NO!" he bellowed, but it was too late.

Arthur's head snapped backwards from the impact of the bullet. He didn't even make a sound as he fell. To Alfred, time slowed down to a crawl as he watched, horrified. Then Arthur hit the ground, and his head banged against a stone, echoing throughout the barren landscape.

Silence. Alfred felt something inside of him break.

A scream, so loud and full of horror that it raised the hairs on his arm, shattered the silence like glass. There was a sound like porcelain breaking, and suddenly a huge crack split the blood red sky in half. The screaming wasn't stopping; it went on and on like something in a horror story, and with it the crack in the sky spread. The entire vision was collapsing around him, but that fact barely even registered to Alfred, who was standing frozen.

He couldn't put his horror into coherent thoughts. There were no- no sentences, no words to explain the despair building up in his throat, choking him to the point where he struggled to breathe. His mind was completely blank; whipped completely clean except for the vision of Arthur falling. Falling, falling, falling to the ground like one of those toy soldiers he used to play with as a child-

Finally the vision fell into itself, swallowing him up in darkness and muting all of his senses at once. It was only then, after the scream had ended but still echoed in his ears, that Alfred realized he had been the one screaming.

There was nothing for a minute, but then a small light flickered into life. It wavered like a candle, but then it grew, chasing away the darkness until he could see again. Alfred blinked his eyes and the ceiling of Arthur's private study swam into focus.

He didn't move at first. He realized that he was sitting on the ground, slumped against the wall. Nothing was different about the room, nothing had changed. Well, nothing except for one thing; the clock was back in the desk, looking like nothing more than an innocent painting.

And there was something else. There was something wet and cool running down his cheeks. He reached up and brushed his fingers against his skin. He stared down at the clear liquid on his fingertips, blinking. They were tears.

He swallowed thickly, a lump rising in his throat which now burned like fire. The pain was still there- the horrible anguish throbbed like someone had stabbed his heart- but it was less strong now that he realized that none of it had really happened. It was a vision and nothing more. Spades was fine; Hearts hadn't attacked yet. No one was dead, Arthur was fine.

Arthur was fine. Alfred let out a breath and laughed shakily. Arthur was fine, he repeated, closing his eyes as he let the relief wash over him.

It was funny how things had turned out, he thought to himself. A few days ago he hated Arthur. But now, they were friends. And it seemed Arthur meant a ton more to him than he originally thought, looking back at how he had reacted when Arthur had been shot.

The image of Arthur falling flashed through his mind again, and he sucked in a deep breath. He shoved the memory into the darkest corners of his mind, willing himself to forget the horrific scene. Suddenly, he felt as if everything was pressing in on him, making it difficult to breathe. He reacted immediately, and struggled to stand up.

His legs shook slightly as he left the room, not looking back. He didn't even pause to check up on the Queen before he fled to the exiting door. He had to leave; he had to go. He had a desperate need to get away, - to _escape_- to forget everything. He felt dirty, like he hadn't washed in ages. He had to-

Alfred flung the door open and stumbled into the hallway. Light from the windows blinded him temporarily- was it morning already?- but he leaned on the wall for support and continued to move, refusing to pause for even a second.

"Hey-!"

That voice. Alfred looked back to see the guard- Simon, he remembered- staring at him wide eyed. He noted that the distrust from before had disappeared, honest surprise taking its place.

"Are you alright? You look kind of sick," the guard stuttered.

"I'm fine," he managed to reply. "I- I just need to go. There's somewhere I need to, um, be right now. Servant stuff, you know?" He smiled weakly, praying that Simon would let him go peacefully.

"Okay, right. I forgot you were a servant here..." Simon's voice trailed off.

"Mhm," Alfred hummed, itching to leave. "So, uh, I'll be going now, if you don't mind."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Simon waved him off and Alfred practically ran down the hallway and out of sight.

He didn't know where he was going. He blindly turned corners whenever he saw someone approach. He just wanted to be alone; he needed to think. He still had the feeling that he was being crushed, like he couldn't breathe.

Alfred forced himself to slow down to a halt. He was standing alone in a large stone hallway that he actually recognized, for once. He was on the first floor, near the main entrance and close to the door that lead to the Grounds. He listened to make sure no one was coming before he let himself collapse onto a nearby bench. He crouched forward and buried his face in his hands, breathing through his nose.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he was freaking out more than could be considered normal. He seriously needed to calm down, to take a moment and sort out all of the thoughts flying around in his brain. What had he done before back in Hearts when he needed a moment to himself?

The answer came to him instantly, and a second later he was sprinting through the Castle to the Stables. Not even five minutes later he was on Artemis' back and they were flying over the Castle Grounds, nothing more than a grey smudge against the blue morning sky.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle Grounds_

They had been running for nearly an hour before Alfred slowed Artemis to a trot. Now, she was lying on the grass while Alfred leaned against her stomach, sitting in between her legs. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and it was somewhat relaxing to watch it rise over the hills.

Alfred curled his legs up so he could rest his chin on his knees, and wrapped his arms around his shins. He was so quiet that he could hear the birds' songs from miles around. However, he hadn't expected a visitor, so the voice from behind came as a nasty shock.

"What are you doing here, kid?"

Alfred was proud to say that he didn't scream- he didn't think he could anymore after the vision- but he did give a surprised gasp. He looked around wildly to discover Prussia standing behind Artemis, arms folded and an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"It's you," Alfred rasped out, his voice rough from screaming before.

Prussia raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's the awesome me; who else were you expecting? And, jeesh, what happened to your voice? It sounds shot."

Alfred winced at the word 'shot'. "I think I'm losing my voice." He tried clearing his throat, but quickly stopped at the pain that flared up.

The Joker watched him carefully, brow furrowed. "You had a vision, didn't you? That's the only good explanation why you're out here so far away from the Castle," he said, and Alfred looked up in surprise.

"Thought so. Which one did you see?" Prussia walked over and sat down next to the teenager on the grass.

"Was it the one with Queenie and Honda during the war?" he prompted when Alfred didn't speak. Alfred started and gaped at him.

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"I thought I'd told you this before, Jones. I'm a Joker; I know stuff." They sat quietly, not saying anything for a moment.

"The vision- what I saw," Alfred's voice was low. "Will it come true? Will Arthur die?"

"Depends," Prussia said.

"On what?"

Prussia shrugged. "It depends on what actions you take to get up to that point. The future isn't set in stone; the vision might never happen. Or not like that, at least. But if you take steps to ensure that it doesn't, you might just end up setting yourself- and Arthur- up."

"Like how Arthur attacked me and my friends to avoid the war but ended up causing it anyways?"

"Exactly," he said, smiling slightly. "You figured that one out, huh?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah. But, I mean, I don't blame Arthur for trying to prevent the war; I don't want it to happen either. Especially after seeing that vision. Is there any way the war can be stopped?"

"Maybe if you go back to Hearts-"

"I can't. I promised Arthur I wouldn't try to escape."

"You can't, or you won't?"

Alfred glared at Prussia. "What do you mean 'won't'? You don't think I would go back to Hearts if I had the chance?"

"I don't know, kid. You tell me. Would you really want to go back to a Suit that would kill thousands of innocent people just to get you back?"

He stared at the Joker, letting the words sink in. There was a bad feeling starting to form in his gut, but he tried to ignore it, saying, "Hearts wouldn't do that; not to get back a stable boy. They wouldn't risk their soldiers for something that meant so little."

"Maybe not for a stable boy," Prussia agreed. "But what if it was to retrieve the Wild Card?"

Alfred's stomach dropped to the ground, and he felt himself pale. "They don't know that," he said, struggling to keep his panic under control. "And it's impossible to find that out unless…"

"Unless what?" Prussia tilted his head to the side innocently.

"Unless someone told them who I was," Alfred finished, awareness starting to dawn. "And the only two people who know that are you and Sealand. But you wouldn't tell anyone, right?"

Prussia's only response was to smile, his teeth flashing in the sunlight. Horror and fear coursed through Alfred in equal measures, and for a moment he was unable to speak.

"You- you _told_ them?" he whispered hoarsely. "You told Kiku and Ludwig that I was the Wild Card? But why would you do that? Do you want the war to happen-?"

"It's nothing personal, if that's what you're thinking," Prussia interrupted him, folding his arms. "It never is with Jokers. The war is in the Plan, so that means it will happen one way or another no matter what you do to stop it. And as Jokers, it's our job to make sure whatever's in the Plan happens in real life as smoothly as possible. In order to help it get going, Hearts needed an incentive. Clubs needed an incentive."

Alfred's head snapped upwards. "Whoa, whoa, wait a second! Did you just say Clubs? Please tell me you didn't tell the Clubs Triumvirate about me too."

"What do you think?" Prussia said sarcastically. Alfred flushed angrily, eyes flashing.

"I can't believe this," he snarled. "You are insane. Now Clubs will join Hearts and they'll go against Spades and Diamonds. Do you _want _this war to happen? Now I'm going to be ambushed the second I go back to the Castle. Ace knows what Arthur is going to do to me-"

"Spades and Diamonds don't know about you yet," Prussia interrupted him. "We didn't tell them anything."

Alfred blinked in surprise, anger momentarily forgotten. "What? Why not?"

"It's not the right time for them to know yet," he said with another shrug. "Spades and Diamonds aren't at risk right now; Hearts and Clubs, on the other hand, are."

Alfred stood up quickly and turned his back, trying to distance himself as much as possible from the ex-Heart. He didn't even know what to say to Prussia, who had actually _helped_ the war to happen, and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

"Listen, Jones," Prussia spoke to his back. "Sealand and I do what we have to in order to keep balance between the Kingdoms. Getting Clubs involved with the war had to be done if Hearts was going to stand a chance against Spades and Diamonds. Like I said before, it was nothing personal; we were just doing our job."

"I still don't understand," Alfred said as calmly as he could.

"What don't you get? You're the Wild Card-"

"No, that's exactly it though." He turned around to look at Prussia, who was still sitting cross legged on the grass. "Why does it matter so much who I am? Why is it so important for the Kingdoms to know about the Wild Card?"

Prussia frowned, brow furrowing. "Didn't I explain it to you before?"

"Explain what?" Alfred asked suspiciously.

"Damn, kid. All this time and you don't even know why you're worth fighting wars over?" He shook his head, stood up and walked over. Alfred watched him warily as the Joker passed and started to pace, his outline a dark shadow against the sun.

"You're right about one thing; Hearts wouldn't go to war just for a stable boy. But for a Wild Card, well, that's a whole other story. What have I told you so far about being the Wild Card?" He looked sideways at Alfred.

"I- you told me I could choose which Suit I wanted to belong to and that I'm going to change the world somehow-"

"But nothing else?" Prussia asked and the teenager shook his head silently.

"Alright, then," Prussia sighed heavily. "I guess I'll give you the once over and hope you get the picture. I won't explain it in detail, but as the Wild Card you have a ton of powerful magic stored up inside of you. This magic is very unique, very specific, and has the ability to do stuff no one else can."

Alfred opened his mouth to argue that he had no idea what Prussia was talking about, that there was no way he had any of this 'powerful' magic Prussia was talking about- wouldn't he have noticed it by now if he did?- but the Joker spoke quicker, overriding him.

"It's this magic that can both help and harm the Kingdoms, depending on which one you are loyal to. If Spades and Diamonds have the Wild Card, that means Hearts and Clubs are at a disadvantage; their Kingdoms are at risk. The only way for the Triumvirates to ensure their people's safety is to capture you and keep you for themselves. Hence, the war." He stopped pacing and turned so that he was face to face with Alfred.

"They had a right to know that you were the Wild Card because they have a right to know when their Kingdoms are in jeopardy. They needed to know because they need to be able to protect the Kingdoms they are responsible for." Prussia stared at him sternly, more serious than Alfred had ever seen him. "Do you get why we had to tell them now?"

"Kinda?" Alfred said. "I mean, I get what you're saying about the Triumvirates needing to protect their Kingdoms, but I don't think I have this weird magic stuff you're talking about."

"That's just because you haven't figured out how to use it yet." Prussia waved his hand like it was nothing to be concerned about.

"How am I supposed to figure out how to use it if I don't even know what it can do?" Alfred asked, annoyed. This was stupid. How had they even gotten onto this topic anyway? He hadn't come out here to get a lecture from Prussia; he came so he could think without being interrupted.

"You really don't know anything do you?" Prussia smirked, much to his irritation.

"Well, _certain people_ don't like to explain," Alfred snapped. "What are you even doing here? I didn't ask for a visit, and I kinda want to be alone if you don't mind."

"Leave you alone so you can do what? Debate your role in the war and which Kingdom your loyalties lie?"

At that Alfred straightened and gaped at Prussia. "I wasn't thinking about that at all! Well, the first part, yeah, but not the second! Why would I doubt where my loyalties lie? I know who I'm loyal to, and I don't have to question myself!" He turned away angrily. Stupid Prussia. Who did he think he was, telling Alfred what to think?

"Are you sure?" Prussia said in a sing song voice. Alfred whirled around to find him picking at his nails absentmindedly.

"What are saying?" Alfred asked, not liking the way the conversation was heading.

"Hearts isn't the most innocent Kingdom," Prussia said offhandedly. "You know that from your vision, _ja_?" He stopped picking at his nails and looked into Alfred's eyes, letting his next words fall heavilyon the young teenager's ears.

"_Kiku Honda _killed _Arthur Kirkland_, and in cold blood none the less. Do you really want to follow a Kingdom with someone like that for a leader?"

Alfred stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say or even think. What Prussia had said was true; in the vision Kiku had killed Arthur without mercy or warning. And according to what Arthur had said before he had gotten shot, Kiku had done a lot of bad stuff before getting to that point. That wasn't the Kiku Alfred knew and loved, but what if that was what he would turn into when the war started? Would Alfred really want to come home to a place that had readily killed innocent people to get to him, the Wild Card? Could he give his full support to a Kingdom like that?

But if he couldn't, where could he call home? Where _did_ Alfred's loyalties lie?

Prussia watched as Alfred second-guessed himself, a look of pity on his face. "All I'm saying is to think about it, kid. Only you can decide what you want for yourself, just make sure it's the _right_ decision."

"Is that what you came here to do?" Alfred asked after a pause, head bowed. "To tell me that Hearts and Clubs know about me? Or did you just come here to try to make me doubt myself?"

"I'm not trying to make you doubt yourself," Prussia said. "I'm just trying to show you that there is more than one option out there. You have to be careful; every decision you make affects the rest of the world."

Alfred snorted. "If only I knew how I affected the rest of the world, I might be more cautious. But since I don't…" he stared pointedly at Prussia.

Prussia shrugged. "Sorry, I can't tell you anything."

"Why not?" he asked, annoyed. "You are a _Joker_, don't you know everything?"

"Yes, but it's not in the Plan. Someone else is supposed to explain your powers to you as well as how to use them. But that someone isn't me."

Screw the Plan, Alfred thought angrily. "Can you at least tell who it is that's supposed to help me? Or can you not even do that?"

Prussia shook his head and Alfred swore.

"You stink, man, you know that?" he glared at the Joker while Prussia grinned. "What am I supposed to do to find this person, then?"

"I don't know, maybe you should read a book or something, Jones. Why don't you learn a little more about the history of the Wild Cards before anything else? That should help you out a bit." He folded his arms.

"Great, thanks, that really helps," Alfred said sarcastically. "Is there anything else you wanted to say? Anything that might actually help me in some way?"

"I do, actually," Prussia said, startling him. His hand reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small glass pendent tied to a thin metal cord. He held it up so Alfred could see the glass pendent swinging back and forth. Alfred blinked against the sunlight reflected by the glass.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A gift," Prussia said simply and he placed it gently into Alfred's outstretched hand.

"From who?" he asked curiously as he rubbed his fingers against the cool glass.

"The Queen of Hearts," Prussia said. Alfred started and glanced up at the Joker to see if he was lying. Prussia's expression was impassive, but there was an odd twist to his lips, as if he disagreed with what he had been asked to do.

"Kiku Honda asked me to give this to you shortly after I told him who you were." He gestured at the object in Alfred's hand.

Alfred looked back down at the glass pendent, wondering what exactly Kiku had given him and why it made Prussia unhappy. He stared at it, frowning. It wasn't really a pendent; rather, the glass was an extra layer, protecting whatever was inside of it. He squinted harder and realized for the first time that the object was a dark pink color. It was shaped like a teardrop, and very thin. Without the glass, it would have weighed less than paper.

Suddenly, Alfred realized what the object was. It was a petal, dark pink to the point where it was almost red but covered with a protective layer of glass. His brow puckered and he turned the petal over in his hands. It looked so familiar, but where had he seen it before? It had to be something useful, or important. Kiku wouldn't have given it to Prussia to give to him otherwise.

His breath caught and his eyes flew wide-open.

"Of course," he breathed and clenched his hand around the glass petal into a fist.

He knew where the petal was from; he had seen it nearly every day after Kiku had been declared Queen. Why hadn't he realized what it was before? But why would Kiku-?

"Did you figure out what it is?" Prussia asked, arms crossed.

"Of course," Alfred repeated. "This is a petal from Kiku's Eternal Implement, Tokyo." He held it up by the metal cord, letting it swing as Prussia had done earlier.

"Correct," Prussia said wryly. "And I assume that means you know what it does?"

Alfred hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Then I won't have to explain to you the situation you're in." He unfolded his arms and took a step closer to Alfred so that they were only a few inches apart.

"Make sure you know what you're doing before you use it," he spoke softly, a warning in his bright red eyes.

"I will," Alfred promised. He gripped the glass petal tighter, his knuckles going white.

"Good. Then this is where I'll take my leave." He took a step back and clasped a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Take care of yourself, alright? Don't get yourself hurt because of something stupid."

"I'll try my best," Alfred said dryly and Prussia laughed.

"You have a few days before word gets to Spades about the Clubs Hearts Alliance," Prussia said as he walked away. "Before then, take my advice and do some reading about Wild Card history. It should help you find the person who will help you figure out how to use your powers."

And before Alfred could say another word, the Joker started to disappear. In less than ten seconds he had gone, leaving nothing to show that he had ever been there in the first place.

Alfred stood frozen, gaping at the place where Prussia had vanished. Then Artemis whinnied, jerking him out of his shock.

"I'm guessing you want to go back now, huh?" he asked her and she snorted in reply. "Yeah, you're probably right. Toris will wonder where I've gone."

He looked back at the steadily rising sun as Artemis got to her feet. He was still unsure of what to make of the vision, and Prussia's visit really hadn't helped at all. If anything, it had made him more confused than ever as to which Kingdom he was loyal to.

He stared back down at the petal in his hand, running his thumb over the smooth glass. Kiku's Eternal Implement, Tokyo, was actually a bunch of red flowers that the Queen rarely let out of his sight. Unlike London or Washington, Tokyo had a physical use that came in handy for military problems.

When crushed, Tokyo's petals could be turned into a healing force or a fatal blow depending on how it was taken. If inhaled, the powdered petals could heal any injury, whether it be mental or an actual bleeding wound. On the other hand, if even one of its petals were swallowed, its power would overwhelm the body and put it into a coma. In less than five minutes, you would be dead.

Kiku had given him one of Tokyo's petals for a reason. Why and for what purpose was the important thing. With this petal, he could heal anyone. With this petal, he could kill Arthur. He could escape and go home.

But where was home? Alfred thought as he lifted the necklace around his neck and climbed onto Artemis' back. Would he really want to go back to Hearts after the war, or would Spades become his new home?

Alfred didn't have an answer. Not now, not so soon. He needed more time. For now he would just listen to Prussia and do as he advised. He needed to know more about Wild Cards, and that huge Library in Spades Castle was the best place to start.

-o0o-

"So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean

Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes

Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between

Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide."

New Divide, Linkin Park


	15. Chapter 14 part 1, Queen's Room

**8/26/2012 **

**This is part 1 of Chapter 14. Yes, _part_ 1; there will most definitely be a part 2. The reason for the two different parts is because the whole chapter would've taken too long to write, so I split it up so that I could update the story sooner. I do not have the second part finished yet but it _should_ take less time to write than the first. This first part is extremly important to the story though, so please don't think the whole thing is just random plot material. Because it isn't.**

**On a side note, I wrote a short story set in this universe about Alfred and Kiku called 'Glowing In The Dark'. It's takes place right after Kiku is declared Queen, and it gives real insight into his relationship with Alfred. Go check it out if you're interested! **

**Thank you again to my beta reader, waterbringer. And once again, thank _you_ for reading this awfully long thing and sticking with it up to now. And with nothing left to do, onwards with the story!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

The second Alfred returned to the Castle Toris came running out of the Stables.

"There you are, Alfred! Where have you been? I've been searching for you all morning-" Toris spoke quickly as Alfred stepped off of Artemis' back, his voice sounding worried and stressed.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for being late," Alfred apologized. "I didn't mean to be out for so long; I lost track of time." Actually, for a little while he didn't think he was going to come back to the Castle at all; he had been so confused and lost that he had just wanted to give up. In the end though, Alfred had to remind himself of the promise he had made to Arthur that he would willingly stay in Spades regardless of the situation. And despite what had happened in the last few hours, Alfred kept his promises.

He led Artemis into the Stable as Toris followed at his heels. The servant was still speaking, and Alfred forced himself to pay attention while he took off Artemis' saddle.

"You shouldn't be out on your own at all!" Toris was saying. "Did you forget that the Queen assigned guards to follow you around?"

Alfred winced. "Er, sorry. I forgot about the guards. I was kind of in a rush when I left."

"I guessed as much! Everyone has been searching for you for hours and the only person who saw you leave was the guard outside the Queen's room. And even he didn't know where you had gone."

"That Simon guy?" Alfred asked, frowning. He turned away from Artemis to stare at Toris. "Of course he didn't know where I was. No one did. It was a split second decision."

Toris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Regardless of whether it was a split second decision or not you can't just go off on your own like that. The Queen looked like he was ready to murder someone when we discovered you were missing. Not to mention your brother was devastated-"

Alfred stiffened at the mention of his twin. "Matthew? What do you mean he was devastated?"

Toris stared at him with disbelief. "Alfred, don't you remember? The Diamonds Triumvirate was supposed to leave Spades this morning, your brother included."

Alfred's mouth fell open in horror. "Oh no, I completely forgot! Please don't tell me they left already!" He grabbed Toris by the shoulders and shook him slightly.

"The Triumvirate left before you came back!" Toris gasped as his head snapped forward and back.

Alfred released his hold on the servant, feeling something similar to despair starting to swell in his chest. "Mattie's gone? Like, gone-back-to-Diamonds gone?" He felt like banging his head against the wall in frustration; he couldn't believe he hadn't been there to say goodbye to his only brother. He didn't know when he would get to see Matthew again and they wouldn't be able to write to each other either because they hadn't thought to exchange addresses.

"Alfred, your brother is still here."

His eyes flashed to Toris' face. "Wait, what? Mattie's still here? But you just said-"

"I said the Diamonds _Triumvirate_ left before you came back," Toris clarified. "Matthew, however, is a Number. He's staying here as a Diamonds Representative while the Spades Triumvirate work out more details about the war."

"Really?" Alfred's face split into a grin. "That's wonderful! But, wait a second. I find it hard to believe that France would let Mattie stay here alone while he returned to Diamonds."

"Well Queen England convinced him otherwise," Toris said, surprising Alfred. "He told the Diamond King that it would be easier to communicate with the Diamond Triumvirate via magic if a Diamond were to remain here, in Spades. Your brother was the logical choice, since it was obvious how miserable the both of you were going to be if separated from each other."

Alfred blinked. "Arthur convinced France to let Mattie stay? For me?"

"It would look that way," Toris said.

"Wow. That's- that's pretty cool," Alfred said, stunned. He didn't think Arthur would do or even think of doing something like that for him.

Toris smiled gently. "I did tell you he cares about you."

Alfred flushed and looked away. "I think that's an overstatement," he said, staring at the ground. "He thinks I'm an annoying brat that causes him more problems than necessary."

Toris shrugged. "I don't believe so, but I won't try to convince you otherwise. Speaking of the Queen, he was looking for you before; you should go speak to him."

"He's still looking for me? Why?"

Toris shook his head; he didn't know. Alfred sighed. Was nothing simple anymore?

"Okay, I'll go talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

"He was going to his study the last time I spoke with him. That's in his bedroom."

Alfred nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll go now and get it over with. Do you mind if I leave you alone for the morning? Or do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'm fine at the moment. But, do you even know where the Queen's master bedroom is?"

"Yeah, of course I do. Don't worry, Toris; I know this Castle by heart now." He smiled brightly at the servant.

"I would hope so," Toris said. "You've been here long enough."

Alfred laughed lightly, shutting Artemis behind her gate and rubbing his hand over her nose once before stepping away. "Bye 'mis. I promise to take you out more often, okay?" She nuzzled his hand affectionately.

"Thanks for finding me and telling me about Mattie, Toris. I'll see you later, right?" Alfred asked as the pair walked outside and got ready to part ways.

"Definitely," Toris said. "You have to go to the market with me in the afternoon to stock up on food supplies, remember?"

Alfred groaned. "Do we have to? We stock up on food like every other day! And we're not even the only servants who do it!"

"Food won't bring itself to the chefs," he reminded the teenager and Alfred made a face.

"Yeah, I know, I know, but it's still annoying. I'll meet you in the Kitchens later then, alright?"

"Sure thing, Alfred. See you later!"

"Bye!" He waved at Toris as the other disappeared into the Castle.

As soon as Toris was out of sight, Alfred let his hand drop to his side. He sighed heavily before walking off in the opposite direction. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stared up at the sky as he headed towards the other end of the Castle Grounds. What did Arthur want with him now? Was he upset that Alfred had left the room before he had woken up? It wasn't really that big of a deal.

He could hear voices coming from inside when he stopped outside of Arthur's door. Instead of barging in unannounced and getting yelled at, he knocked lightly on the wood and took a step back. The voices stopped before continuing. Alfred frowned- had they not heard him?- and was about to knock again when the door was flung open.

Matthew was standing in the open doorway, face pale. His gaze locked on Alfred and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then Matthew let out a loud cry and ran at Alfred with full force, colliding with him so hard that Alfred felt the air rush out of his lungs. He gasped loudly as Matthew wrapped his arms around Alfred's back in a bruising hug. Together they stumbled into the stone wall opposite the door.

"Mattie!" Alfred said, breathless.

"Alfred Jones, where have you been?!" Matthew squeezed Alfred tighter to him, and Alfred could feel his brother shaking slightly.

"Mattie?" he asked. "You're shaking…what's wrong?"

Abruptly, Matthew released Alfred and pushed him away. Alfred staggered backwards before crashing into the wall again. Alfred looked up, shocked that Matthew would push him, to find his brother glaring at him with angry tears in his eyes.

"'_What's_ _wrong_'?! What do you mean what's wrong?! Alfred, you were gone for _hours_ and no one knew where you were! You didn't even show up when the Diamond Triumvirate left Spades and you _promised_ that you would be there! Do you have any idea how worried I was? How worried we all were? I thought you were seriously hurt or lying dead in a ditch somewhere-"

"Wha-? You- you thought I was in a ditch somewhere? How would I even find a ditch in the first place?" Alfred said, confused.

Matthew shot him an irritated glare. "I don't know, Alfred! Maybe you fell into it or something since you're so scatterbrained! But that's not the point! The point is that you didn't show up and I thought you were in trouble. I was afraid you were in danger!"

Alfred blinked as Matthew angrily rubbed away the tears in his eyes. He felt dumbstruck; he hadn't thought anyone would personally care about him that much if he never showed up again. He had forgotten that he had a brother now.

"I…I'm sorry, Matthew," he said and his twin started at the sound of his full name. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just taking Artemis out for a run and I forgot that the Diamonds were leaving today. I'm sorry I didn't show up. I would have been there if I wasn't, um, distracted at the time. I wouldn't purposefully miss the chance to say goodbye to you. I promise."

Matthew stared at him with wide indigo eyes for a moment before looking away. "I- it's alright. I forgive you."

Alfred's head snapped up. "Really?"

"Of course, I could never stay mad at you-"

"Yay! Thank you, Mattie!" Alfred threw his arms around Matthew and hugged him tightly. Matthew automatically hugged Alfred back, pressing his face into the crook of Alfred's neck and squeezing his eyes shut. This would've been awkward if we weren't brothers, Alfred thought and grinned when he imagined the look on Arthur's face if he saw them. He would probably snap at Alfred for being all improper and stuff.

When they pulled apart, Matthew said, "You know, some other people won't forgive you as easily. Francis thought you had run away; he was threatening to stay here until you were found!"

"Was he?" Alfred asked, surprised. Who knew Francis could be so determined to stay in Spades? Matthew nodded. "But in the end he left and let you stay here?"

"Yeah, England convinced him otherwise. They're letting me stay, Alfred! They're letting me stay here with you in Spades!" He beamed, clearly expecting Alfred to be amazed.

Alfred smiled. "I know, Toris told me."

Matthew's brow furrowed. "Toris? Is that the brown haired servant you follow around?"

"Yep. He said you're staying as a representative of some sort…?"

"That's right. I get to stay here while England and China work out the details of the war and then through me England can use magic to contact Francis and Lili."

"Huh," Alfred said. "Who knew magic could be so useful?" Once again his mind turned back to what Prussia had said and wondered why his magic was different from everyone else's.

"Well, establishing contact over such a great distance is very difficult for even the average magician," Matthew said. "England is able to accomplish the feat only because he is so powerful. He's one of the strongest magicians in all of the Suits, you know."

"Wow, really? I had no idea." Alfred tried to think of a time when England showed off any of his magic. None came to mind.

"He doesn't have many opportunities to use it," Matthew said, mirroring Alfred's thoughts.

"Now he does," Alfred said with a frown. "With the war coming up he'll probably have tons of spells to use, right?"

"Probably," Matthew agreed. "I've never really seen magic up close before. It should be interesting to see what it looks like."

Alfred shrugged. "It'll probably involve a bunch of bright lights and stuff. And chanting."

"Can you really picture England chanting some weird spell?" Matthew asked with a smile.

"Not really. But who knows? Is Arthur in there?" Alfred asked, gesturing towards the still open door.

"Yes. But- wait a second, Al." Matthew grabbed Alfred's arm as he made to go past him. Alfred stopped moving and turned to look at his brother quizzically.

"What?"

"I- I think you should know that I know why you're here now."

Alfred's stomach dropped to the floor. Did Matthew know about the whole Wild Card thing? "Oh, yeah? And why is that?" he asked, forcing himself to sound calm.

"You're the Jack of Hearts," Matthew said. "England attacked you and your King and Queen the night of the Gathering, but was only able to capture you as a prisoner."

"Yeah, that's about it," Alfred said as relief coursed through him. Matthew didn't know anything. Which was for the best, in the end. Only Toris knew that Alfred wasn't the Jack, and that alone was a big risk. He didn't want any Diamond or Spade finding out that he was the Wild Card until it was absolutely necessary. Once everyone knew what he was everything was going to change. He wouldn't be just Alfred anymore. He was something that put the Kingdoms at 'risk' according to Prussia. He was a danger to the Suits. Who knew what the Diamond and Spade Triumvirates would do with him once they found out?

"Why didn't you want to tell me before?" Matthew was saying. "I don't think it's that big of a deal."

"You didn't ask," Alfred said with a shrug. "And it _is_ kinda a big deal, Mattie. I'm the reason the war is going to happen." That at least wasn't a lie.

Matthew shook his head. "But according to England, the war might still have happened even if he hadn't captured you."

"Do you know why he attacked me and my friends?" Alfred asked, curious. How much had Arthur told him?

"Didn't England tell you?"

"No." Not directly. Technically Arthur's _clock_ had told him.

"England saw a vision, Alfred. His Eternal Implement, London, has the power to show him visions of the future," Matthew explained slowly. "And the night of the Gathering he saw a horrible war scene. Spades was in ruins- _ruins_, Alfred. It was completely destroyed. Can you even imagine that?- and Hearts was the Kingdom that had attacked. Then the Queen of Hearts killed England. That's why England went after you and your friends. He wanted to prevent the war from happening."

Listening to Matthew explain how he had gotten here, Alfred could feel himself slowly pale. Scenes from the last month flashed through his mind and he felt sick. He realized that he could remember every moment from that night in astonishing detail; Arthur's bright green eyes, the lights from the fairies, the heat that radiated from the dancers, the darkness of night, Kiku's soft hand in his as the Spades horses stopped outside their cottage and finally sacrificing himself for Feliciano hours before dawn. And now, with the vision the clock had presented still fresh in his mind, Alfred could honestly understand the desperate need with which Arthur had attacked.

But that still didn't mean that he approved.

Matthew was staring at him with worry, so Alfred said, "Ah. That makes more sense. Thank you for telling me."

"I just wanted to let you know that I know who you are now. Finally there won't be anymore secrets between us."

Alfred felt a twinge of guilt at that, but didn't act on it. I can't tell him, he reminded himself. I _can't_ do that to myself. Matthew had a loyalty to Diamonds that he had grown up with. He was a Number, for Ace's sake! He would tell France the second Alfred told him that he was the Wild Card. Besides, it wouldn't be a secret much longer the way things were turning out.

"No more secrets," Alfred repeated numbly. If Matthew noticed anything strange he didn't say anything. Instead he just smiled and tugged on one of Alfred's bangs affectionately.

"England is in there if you want to talk to him," he said and pointed at the open doorway. "He's in the study with China. They were arguing when I left though, so I would be careful if I were you."

"Thanks for the warning," Alfred said with a wince. Of course China had to be in there. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I need to go back to my room and unpack my bags again since Francis didn't tell me I was staying until this morning."

"Sounds like fun," Alfred said and Matthew laughed. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Of course. We'll be able to see each other all of the time now." Matthew beamed again and Alfred grinned in return.

"I'll visit your room after dinner then. Does that sound okay with you?"

Matthew nodded and with one last hug, he hurried down the hallway and out of sight. Alfred's high spirits fell as he turned back to Arthur's room. He really wasn't looking forward to interrupting a conversation between Arthur and his Jack, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Cautiously, he entered the main room. It looked exactly as it had last night, except now the curtains over the windows were pulled back and sunlight filtered through the glass. He preferred the room to look like this; it was a lot brighter and happier than it had with all of the windows covered. He listened closely, and could hear noises coming from the study with the clock, just as Matthew had said.

The door was open. Alfred walked over and stood in the doorway, hand on the doorknob. Yao's back was to him, pale hands pressed against the face of the desk while he explained some type of battle technique in Chinese, if Alfred understood him correctly. Arthur was sitting in the chair behind the desk and was listening intently to what Yao was saying. However, his gaze turned to Alfred the moment he appeared in the doorway.

"Alfred!" Arthur said, sounding both relieved and pleased. Yao stiffened at Arthur's words and immediately stopped speaking. He turned to stare angrily at Alfred like he had just interrupted an important meeting, which was probably true.

"Um, I heard you wanted to speak to me?" Alfred said in English, trying to ignore Yao's glare to the best of his abilities.

"Ah, yes, actually. I did." Arthur stood up and walked around the desk. "Come over here, please."

He smiled sweetly at the teenager and Alfred's brow furrowed in response. Arthur's smile was a little unnerving; he was showing way too many teeth. Why was he looking at him like that? Before Alfred could ask, Arthur wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him over to the bookcase. In fact, it was the very same one that all of the books had fallen out of last night.

Alfred swallowed thickly. He suddenly had a very good idea about what was going on.

Arthur was watching him as Alfred stared up at the bookcase. His smile had widened again and there was an evil glint in his green eyes that made Alfred extremely nervous.

"Now, Alfred," Arthur said and even his voice sounded sickly sweet. "See these books? This morning I came in here to do some work, and I noticed that some of these books were out of order. Actually, almost _all _of them were out of order. Yesterday I was looking at these books before I went out with you, so that could only mean that _someone_ came in here last night and rearranged them. Do you have any idea who that person might be, Alfred?"

Alfred really hated it when people spoke to him like he was a child who didn't know the difference between right and wrong. He hated it even more when people used that annoyingly thoughtful voice that meant they really knew what was going on regardless of what anyone said.

Arthur, being the person he was, somehow managed to do both at the same time. Alfred had to work to keep his face completely blank and innocent looking, even as Arthur's grip on his shoulder tightened. His green eyes bore into Alfred's face and Alfred chewed the inside of his cheek, willing himself to remain silent; to not take the bait.

Yao coughed, breaking the silence and forcing Arthur to shift his attention. Alfred sighed inwardly with relief.

"Your Majesty," Yao said stiffly. "If you no longer need my assistance-?"

"Oh, of course," Arthur said and released his hold on Alfred to walk over to the Jack. "Thank you for your help, as always. Here's the information you required." He handed Yao a stack of papers lying on the desk. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No," Yao said shortly.

Arthur hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something else. In the end though, he sighed and said, "Alright, then. If there's anything else, please don't hesitate to ask me; your company is always welcome. You understand that, correct?"

Yao's eyes flitted over to Alfred for a second before going back to Arthur's face.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said and his voice sounded emotionless. A strained expression crossed Arthur's face but then Yao was leaving, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

"Arthur?" Alfred said quietly as the Queen stared at the shut door.

"Hm? Oh, yes, back to the bookcase-" he started to say.

"What's going on with you and Yao?" Alfred interrupted and Arthur froze.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked and Alfred stared, surprised at the change that had come over the Queen's face. Arthur's pained expression from before had disappeared, and in its place was the stony, impassive look from the days when Alfred had first arrived in Spades. Alfred felt his heart clench; had they taken a step backwards in a relationship that had only just started?

"You never seem to get along," he said, determined to get answers regardless. "Are you guys in the middle of an argument or something?"

"No, we are not," Arthur said.

"But, then why-?"

"It's none of your business, Alfred!" Arthur snapped suddenly, eyes flashing. "You don't have a right to know _anything_ about Spades, much less the nature of the relationship between its Jack and Queen!"

Alfred leaned away in shock and his face went slack. But then anger- along with a mixture of frustration and hurt- flared up inside of him; it overtook the fear he normally felt whenever Arthur snapped at him. Instead, a defiance that hadn't existed since those first few days after Arthur's betrayal took its place.

He reacted automatically, behaving just as he would if he was back in Hearts at warrior training. His body stiffened and he wiped all emotion off of his face, hardening his eyes in a way that he knew would turn them into cold sapphires. Only the clenching of his jaw and the tightening of his hands into fists betrayed his feelings.

If Arthur wanted to act like a total and complete jerk, fine. That was totally okay with him. But Alfred refused to stand there and let Arthur yell at him. Not anymore. Not after all they had been through in the past few days. Alfred seriously thought that friendship was building between them, as unlikely as it was. And it was probably because of this friendship that Alfred couldn't find it in himself to remain afraid of Arthur; it didn't matter anymore that Arthur was the Queen of Spades and- technically- his jailer. Alfred refused to be scared of a person whom he was trying to create a comfortable relationship with.

The second the words left Arthur's mouth, his careful mask from before broke. He looked utterly horrified at what he said. He paled noticeably as he watched the change in Alfred's expressions and body posture.

"Alfred," he said, his voice hoarse. "Alfred, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that-"

"You didn't mean for it to come out like what?" Alfred said hotly. "Like you're the master and I'm your hostage? That I don't matter because I'm not a Spade? Because I'm your _prisoner_?" He spat out the last word like it was a curse.

"Alfred, no. I would never think of you like that-"

"Then why do you act like that?" Alfred asked. "Why do you isolate yourself and push people away instead of letting them in? Arthur, if we're going to be friends you need to lighten up. You don't have to answer all of my questions if you don't want to, but you need to tell me that instead of snapping at me all the time and treating me like dirt."

Arthur's eyes had widened. His mouth was open but no words were coming out. He seemed to be in shock.

"Arthur?" Worry threaded into Alfred's previously cold tone. Was he alright?

Arthur's mouth shut silently and he swallowed. Then he said, "We're still friends then, are we? After all that has happened, and all that _will_ happen because of what I've done? Are you seriously willing to overlook all of that?"

Alfred smiled slightly. "But because of what you've done, we're kinda stuck with each other," he pointed out. "And even with everything that's happened, I still like hanging out with you. I still like talking to you, even if you can be a pain in the ass sometimes." Arthur started, affronted, and Alfred's grin widened.

"I am not a pain in the arse!" Arthur said shrilly. "And you're not easy to be with either sometimes, you know! You have this tendency to go against everything I say and sometimes I just want to rip my hair out and throw you into the dungeons where I never have to listen to your insolent chatter ever again! But for some unknown and strange reason, I like talking to you as well. I also still want to be your friend despite everything." He shook his head and laughed shakily. "Ace help me, but I do. I don't know what it is or how we get along when we should be enemies-"

"Don't you feel it, too?" Alfred asked quietly and Arthur froze in mid sentence. "We _shouldn't_ be able to get along like this, Arthur. We're like, opposites. Why is this working so easily?"

"I-" Arthur bit his lip, looking as lost and confused as Alfred felt. "In all honestly, Alfred, I don't know. I've never gotten along with someone so well before. And so quickly, for god's sake! I don't know what this is, but I promise- I- I will try to find out."

Alfred nodded. "I know you will." He trusted Arthur.

Arthur sighed tiredly. He turned away and walked behind the desk before lowering himself into the padded seat that lay there. He gestured for Alfred to come closer, and Alfred took a wooden chair opposite him.

"Yao and I have known each other for a very, very long time," Arthur began to say carefully.

"Arthur," Alfred said, uncomfortable. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't want to force you into telling me stuff."

"Please," Arthur scoffed. "You couldn't force me into telling you _anything_ if I didn't want to. But it's really no big deal, and I do wish I had someone to talk to about this."

"Oh. Okay." He leaned back in his chair.

Arthur folded his hands on the desk, and said, "Before recent events, Yao and I have always gotten along well."

"You mean, before _I _came here," Alfred said and Arthur smiled sadly.

"As much as I loathe admitting it, you are correct. We have only started arguing since you have come to Spades."

"Why? Does it have something to do with why he hates me so much?"

Arthur frowned. "He doesn't hate you, Alfred. He just- well, he just doesn't like you that much, is all."

Alfred snorted. "Don't lie, dude. I can practically _feel _his glare whenever we're in the same room."

"Ah, yes, well." Arthur looked down at his hands lying on the desk, linking and unlinking them repeatedly. "Yao has never harbored a love for the Hearts Kingdom."

"Why?" Alfred repeated.

Arthur looked back up at him, eyes stern. "If I tell you, you must promise to never breathe a word of what I say to anyone. Ever. Especially not to Yao."

"I- of course," Alfred said, surprised by Arthur's seriousness. "I'm guessing it's something personal?"

"Very," Arthur said.

"Um, okay then. I promise I won't tell anyone anything you tell me."

Arthur visibly relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "Good. Yao would have my head if he knew I was telling you this."

"Telling me what?" Alfred asked, curiosity eating at him.

Arthur looked up sharply, his green eyes meeting Alfred's blue across the desk. "Yao's father was originally a Heart."

Alfred's mouth fell open.

"What?" he asked stupidly.

"Yao's father was originally a Heart, not a Spade," Arthur repeated calmly.

"But- but," Alfred stuttered. "Then how is Yao-?"

"Yao's father's Tattoo changed, of course. How else can a person change Suits?"

Alfred's mouth shut with a snap. He had forgotten about the whole Tattoo thing again. He hated the Tattoo policy more than any other rule created by the Triumvirates. He just didn't understand why people couldn't choose for themselves which Suit they wanted to be a part of. Why should a mark on a person's skin dictate his or her life?

"Okay," he said, thinking out loud. "But Yao's the Jack, meaning he has to be of noble blood; a child of noble parents. So how did Yao's dad become a noble? Did he work his way up the social ladder, or did he marry a noble chick?"

Arthur scowled at the word 'chick' but otherwise overlooked Alfred's choice of words.

"Very good, Alfred. That was unusually perceptive of you," he said and Alfred glowered in return.

"You are correct in assuming Yao's father had to become a noble for Yao to become the Jack. The Triumvirates of each Kingdom must be of noble blood. The Eternal Implements won't work for anyone below the noble class; only children of nobles can afford the proper training needed to become a ruler," he explained, ignoring Alfred's quiet _I know_.

"Which makes me wonder how you ever became the Jack of Hearts seeing as you told me that you were a homeless orphan for a large part of your life." He narrowed his eyes at Alfred, who shrugged sheepishly.

"I was kind of adopted into Kiku's family when I was really young, remember?" he said, trying to make the situation seem possible even though it sounded silly to his own ears.

Arthur frowned at him skeptically but again let the issue slide, much to Alfred's relief.

"The first situation you described is the right one," he told Alfred. "Yao's father worked his way up the ranks until he gained nobility status. Then he married a lovely young woman and together they raised Yao to be the perfect noble he is today. He became the Jack of Spades and the rest is history."

"But that doesn't explain his hatred for Hearts," Alfred pointed out.

"Well, when Yao's father's Tattoo changed his parents forced him to leave their home; he was around eighteen at the time, I believe. And in the end he had to ultimately leave Hearts as well because Numbers have ways of knowing when a person's Tattoo changes*. Yao's family could not have kept him in Hearts even if they wanted to." He paused before continuing.

"But Yao's father took the whole ordeal as an act of betrayal; that his family was denouncing him because they no longer cared about him, and his Kingdom- which he had devoted much to- was rejecting him. When he came to Spades he took on a new last name and only spoke of Hearts in order to criticize it."

"So, Yao grew up and spent his entire life with his father going on about how awful Hearts is?" Alfred asked.

Arthur nodded. "Parents make strong impressions on their children, regardless of whether or not they are there. In Yao's case, his father created an environment in which his child learned of the 'evil' nature of Hearts."

They were both quiet. Alfred knew that Arthur was thinking of his own parents, one dead and the other gone, most likely forever. Then he thought of his mother and father, whose absences had also affected his own life.

"Well, I suppose you can imagine how his father's degrading words of Hearts molded Yao's thinking," Arthur said.

"I can," Alfred said, frowning.

"And of course his father's thinking was proven right the night of the Gathering," Arthur said. He was obviously thinking about the vision he saw- the one where Spades lay in ashes at the feet of Hearts. He hadn't told Alfred about the vision but Alfred remained silent this time, not wanting to redirect the flow of conversation.

"And it only became worse once we took you and he learned who you were," Arthur said.

"Why? Because I'm the, um, Jack?" He faltered at the lie but managed to keep a straight face.

"Yes, but also because of your relation to Kiku Honda." Arthur shook his head. "Of all the people to be best friends with you had to choose Kiku Honda."

"Wait, what?" Alfred asked. "What does Kiku have to do with anything?"

Arthur bit his lip, suddenly looking hesitant. "Alfred, Kiku Honda is Yao's cousin. Yao's father and Kiku's were brothers before his Tattoo changed."

For the second time in that hour, Alfred's mouth fell open and he gaped at Arthur. Whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been this.

But as weird as the whole situation was, it kinda made sense. Little details that had before seemed odd now had reason. He thought back to the night when he had first discovered the locked room and the visions he had seen. He remembered the last vision of the meeting between Spades and Hearts; Yao and Kiku had acted as if they knew each other. And even before that at the night of the Gathering; when he was introduced to Yao, he had thought the name Wang sounded familiar. Kiku and his parents must have talked about Yao's father at one point, and Wang was Yao's last name. It all made sense now, in a somewhat creepy way.

"So that's why he hates me so much," Alfred said. "I'm a combination of the two things he hates most. I'm a Hearts citizen and I'm close to the family that kicked his dad out of his home."

"Exactly," Arthur said.

"But I'm not mean or evil or bad at all!" Alfred protested. "Just because I'm a Heart doesn't mean I'm terrible person!"

"_I_ know that," Arthur said. "But I don't think that you can make him see you any other way than he already does. He just assumes that you fall into the same group that he characterizes all Hearts as; cruel and heartless with no pity or mercy."

"Then- then I'll convince him otherwise!" Alfred said loudly. "I'll show him I'm not bad or evil or whatever he thinks Hearts are like. I'll prove I'm different!"

Arthur's lips twitched. "I hope you will, Alfred. But in the meantime-"

He stood up and walked over to the bookcase. Alfred watched curiously as Arthur pulled out several books from the shelves and calmly walked back to stand next to Alfred. Then, without warning, Arthur dumped all of the books into the teenager's lap.

"In the meantime," he said again while Alfred gawked. "You can kindly help me rearrange these poor books you switched around last night."

Alfred blinked and tried to put on his best kicked-puppy look. "How do you know it was me?" he asked innocently. "Don't you have a maid or someone that could've-?"

"I don't _have_ a maid, Alfred," Arthur said with a scowl. "You and I were the only ones in this suite last night, and the books were already out of order by the time I came in here with Yao. And don't think I haven't noticed my papers are also out of order," he added when Alfred opened his mouth to protest.

Alfred winced. Of course Arthur had noticed that his stuff wasn't in the right places anymore. This was Arthur, after all. It didn't even surprise him that the guy didn't have a maid; Arthur had always seemed like the neat and orderly type. A lot like Kiku, Alfred noted.

"Well?" Arthur asked impatiently. When Alfred looked up, Arthur's vivid green eyes were giving him a livid glare. Alfred gulped.

"Well, um, it's a funny story actually..." He wavered as Arthur continued to stare at him intensely. "Alright! Okay, fine, it was me. But-!" he said quickly, seeing Arthur's face settle into a smug expression. "-it totally wasn't my fault!"

"Wasn't it?" Arthur asked. He crossed his arms. The smug expression didn't leave his face, much to Alfred's annoyance.

"I swear it wasn't! I left the bedroom because I couldn't sleep, and I came in here because-" he stopped. He couldn't tell Arthur he came in here because he saw light from London. Arthur would kill him if he knew Alfred had touched his Eternal Implement. For a second he slid his gaze to the desk, and he was surprised to see the clock was no longer there.

"You came in here because?" Arthur prompted.

Alfred's eyes flashed back to Arthur's face. "-because I was exploring. And stuff."

Arthur snorted. "Exploring? Really? That's the best excuse you have?"

"It's the truth!" he said defensively. At least it sounded like something he would do. And he had explored the place earlier that night. "And let me tell you man, this place is way too big for a tiny dude like you."

Arthur's expression soured again. "That's because it was made for two people," he said. "This was built for both the Queen _and_ the King of Spades. They are supposed to share the Suite together. But since there isn't a King right now…"

"You get the place to yourself," Alfred finished.

"Yes. And that's exactly how I know you were the one in my study!"

"It's not my fault you left a huge stack of papers on your desk that were easy to knock over!"

"Is that what really happened then? You just came in here by chance while you were 'exploring' and just happened to knock all of my papers onto the ground?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened. So it's your fault the papers are out of order!"

"All because I stacked my papers so that they were easy to knock over?"

"Yes!" Alfred said, acutely aware of how weak and stupid his argument sounded. Ah well, it was better than telling Arthur the truth.

"Then what about my books?" Arthur asked, clearly not impressed. "The bookcase was completely out of the way. How did you manage to get all of my books on the wrong shelves?"

"When I was picking up your papers, I tripped and fell into the bookcase," Alfred invented. "The books fell out then and I didn't know where to put them."

Arthur stared at him. After a moment he said, "That is the most pathetic excuse I have heard from you yet."

"But-!"

"However," he said, holding up a hand. "I am willing to overlook your stupidity if you help me with my books. I've wanted to empty that bookcase for some time and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. All you have to do is hold the books I don't want and help me transfer them to another room."

"Do I have to?" Alfred asked, making a face.

"Would you rather clean horse manure out of the stable?"

"No!"

"Then do what I say and don't complain. You're lucky I'm not making the punishment worse."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Alfred grumbled as Arthur turned his back on Alfred to stare at the bookcase, deep in thought. Alfred placed the books Arthur had dumped in his lap carefully on the desk before standing up to join the Royal.

"So, all I have to do is stand here and hold some books?" he asked Arthur.

"Correct," Arthur said, not even sparing him a glance. "Should be easy enough for you."

"Thanks," Alfred said sarcastically. "The faith you put in me is amazing. It really means a lot to me, you know."

"I'm glad you think so," Arthur said absentmindedly as he gazed at the books. He reached up with one hand and grabbed a small notebook. He held it out to Alfred without looking at him. Frowning, Alfred took the book.

It was old and in worse conditions than he expected it to be since Arthur was the owner. Its pages were yellow and wrinkled with faded ink while its cover was worn and made of dark leather. He ran his fingers over its fraying corners, stopping at the bottom right. There was some kind of indent in that one corner that wasn't there in the others.

He squinted at the cover, taking the next book from Arthur without looking at him. The indents were actually initials, two letters carved into the cover; 'SQ'. It was freakishly similar to the initials 'SK' that were on every bottom right corner of the books he had found in the locked room. Was there a connection between the two? It wouldn't shock him, at this point.

"Hey, Arthur?" he said as he looked up.

"Hm?"

"Do you know what these initials stand for?" He pointed to the letters when Arthur turned.

"Oh, of course. The 'SQ' stands for Spade Queen," he said and turned back to the bookcase.

"The Queen?" Alfred stared at the books in his hands, suddenly wary. "Do you mean they belong to you, or they belonged to the old Queens?"

"Both," he said simply. "As of now they belong to me, but before I was crowned, they were owned by the previous Queens."

"So, the books are handed down through the generations? Why? What's in them?" He tried to open one of the books and read the text, but found the information inside just as confusing as the words in the books with the 'SK' initials. There had to be a connection between the two sets of books, he was sure of it.

"You won't understand anything," Arthur said as he watched Alfred. "The words stand for coded battle strategies and such. Only the Queen of Spades would understand the vocabulary, just as only the King would understand the vocabulary in the King books."

Alfred froze. "King books?" he echoed.

"Every King and Queen of Spades writes in a book throughout their rein," Arthur explained. "In those books, each ruler makes note of important dates, reminders, or anything that he or she thinks might be helpful for future rulers. They also contain advice and guidance that the older rulers might not be able to give if he or she dies during their rein."

"All of these books belonged to the older Queens?" Alfred asked and gestured at the bookcase.

"Not all, but most."

"What about the Kings' books? Are they here too?"

"No," Arthur said and placed another notebook into the growing pile in Alfred's arms. "They're in the King's Private Study, which is someplace else in the Castle."

"Where's that?"

Arthur scoffed. "As if I would tell you that; the room is meant to be used by the King and the King only, Alfred. You wouldn't even be able to open the door because you would need a special chip to open it. And _no_, I am not giving you the chip no matter how much you beg. Don't look at me like that, it won't do anything."

Alfred shut his mouth quickly and let Arthur go back to looking over the bookcase. The locked room where he had found the initialed 'SK' books that first night must be the Kings Private Study. It was the only option that made sense. There hadn't been a King to use the Study in several years, so it made sense now why the room had been so dusty. And it was no wonder he hadn't been able to understand much of the writing in the King's notebooks; it was like Arthur had said before, the words were codes for secret missions and stuff. Only the Triumvirate of Spades would be able to completely know what the writing meant.

But what chip had Arthur been talking about before? He had been able to open the door with little difficulty; obviously he hadn't needed it to get into the Study. Was Arthur forgetting stuff in his old age or something?

"Why does the King get a separate Study while you get one connected to the Suite?" Alfred asked.

"Well, er," Arthur's cheeks turned pink. "This Study was meant to be a meeting place for the King and Queen while they discussed future plans for the Kingdom. But, as I said before, I have no King to meet with." He coughed, face still red. "So I became accustomed to using this 'Joint' Study, as it has been called, instead of the Queen's Private Study which is in a separate area of the Castle."

"You don't like the Queen's Study or something?" Alfred raised his eyebrows.

"No, it's very nice. I just never felt the need to use it since I have a perfectly good Study right here in my own room-"

"You mean, the King and Queen's room," Alfred pointed out. "So, what, you stole their Joint Study 'cause you were too lazy to use yours?"

Arthur's face flared again. "I am not lazy!" he hissed. "And I didn't steal anything-!"

"You kinda did. It doesn't really belong to you. You have a perfectly good Study and you just don't want to use it 'cause it's far away-"

"Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

It was quiet. A minute later, when Arthur handed Alfred his fourth book, Alfred decided he couldn't take the silence for much longer. He would rather talk and have Arthur get mad at him than stand in awkward silence.

He spoke up, saying, "Will you show me it one day? Your Study? You said you don't use it that much, but I would kinda like to see it anyway…."

"Maybe," Arthur said to Alfred's surprise. "That is, if you actually listen to me for once and stay on your best behavior, maybe."

"I listen to you!" Alfred protested and Arthur fixed him with a steady stare.

"Really?" he said sarcastically, making Alfred wince. But he felt happy that Arthur hadn't said an outright no. He would really like to see how the Queen's Study was different from the King's.

"Alright, these few more and that should be it," Arthur said. He stood on his tiptoes, unable to reach the top shelf. Alfred sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Here," he stepped forward and brushed Arthur to the side, saying, "Which ones do you want? I'll get them for you."

"Oh." Arthur blinked and stepped back. "I need the blue one," he said, pointing with a finger. "And the tallest black one all the way to the right. Over there." Alfred followed Arthur's instructions and grabbed the two he had mentioned. He handed the books over to Arthur and the Queen took them as gently as if they were made of glass.

Arthur rubbed a thumb across the cover of the black book, his green eyes lingering on the gold words written in script. Alfred tilted his head sideways and was able to read the name 'Tudor' before Arthur said lowly, "Thank you."

"No problem," Alfred said, surprised.

Arthur nodded and handed the two books to Alfred. Then he looked away, towards the center of the room and walked back to his desk. He picked up the books Alfred had placed there earlier and glanced back. "Follow me," he said to Alfred and turned to walk out of the Study.

"Where are we going?" Alfred asked as he tried to catch up.

"I told you before, didn't I? There's a separate place I like to store older, but still important, books of mine."

"You mean the Library?" Alfred said and Arthur snorted.

"No, not the Library," he said, smiling despite himself. "That's a bit cheeky of you, Alfred; you might want to watch that."

Alfred shrugged. "It got you to smile," he pointed out. He grinned when Arthur flushed, stuttering, and looked away so Alfred couldn't see his expression.

They were walking through the main room of the Suite- the one that led to all of the other rooms- and had almost reached the door when Arthur suddenly stopped in mid-step. Alfred nearly bumped into him, unable to see clearly around the pile of books in his arms, and barely managed to stop in time. He blinked and saw Arthur staring at a space of empty wall to his right, eyes narrowed.

"Arthur, what-?" Alfred began to say.

"Be quiet for a moment, Alfred," Arthur said, turning to face the blank wall.

Alfred watched him with curiosity as Arthur took a step closer to the wall, less than a foot away now. What was Arthur doing? Why weren't they going to this other room Arthur had mentioned? Unless, the room was here in the Suite someplace. But he hadn't found any storage room when he had been exploring the place yesterday, so what was going on here?

Arthur took a deep breath and closed his eyes, placing one hand on the blank stretch of wall in front of him. He muttered something quietly- too quietly for Alfred to hear- and immediately Arthur's hand started to glow. The wall suddenly rippled as if made of water, the ripples coming and spreading out from Arthur's hand. With every bend and wave, the wall seemed to fade before finally disappearing less than five seconds later. The pair was now standing in front of a very large doorway leading into a dark, unlit room.

Arthur smiled smugly at Alfred's shocked expression. "You were saying?" he said.

"Dude, that was so cool!" Alfred said as Arthur lowered his hand. "How did you do that? Was the wall made of glass or something? But how did you make it all ripple-y-?"

"I used magic, obviously," Arthur said and rolled his eyes. "There's no other way you can make a wall disappear. And I most definitely wouldn't use a glass wall; it's too breakable and would do nothing to protect the room against intruders."

"Why do you need to protect the room?" Alfred asked, confused. "It's just a storage place, right?"

"Not exactly," Arthur admitted and stepped forward.

Lights in the corners of the ceiling, just like the ones in the other rooms, started to glow lowly and increased slowly in intensity until the entire room was illuminated. Alfred followed Arthur in awe as the Queen walked over to a large oval table in the center of the floor. The room wasn't very big- almost the size of Arthur's bedroom- but the walls were covered from bottom to top by bookcases. There were hundreds upon hundreds of books covering every available space on the shelves. Size, width, material of the books did not matter. Where there weren't bookcases, were maps and documents hung in any open area. The only place to sit was at the center of the room, where stiff wooden chairs surrounded the oval table.

"This room is used for more than just storage," Arthur said and his voice echoed. "It holds important documents aged all the way back to the beginning of the creation of the Kingdoms, including most of the King and Queen books. I also have meetings in this room when I don't want to be overheard by any wandering ears. The only way to get in is through that wall." He pointed to the opening they had come through. "And the only way to get through the wall is to have magic and know the correct spell to open it. Otherwise, it is impossible to enter and steal any important information. Few people even know of the existence of this room, much less get to see it. You should consider yourself lucky."

Alfred shrugged and placed the books in his arms next to the ones Arthur had placed on the table. "The only reason I get to come in here is because you wanted help moving books. You probably wouldn't have showed it to me otherwise."

"Probably," Arthur agreed. "Still, enjoy it while you can. We're only staying in here long enough to put these books away. After that we're going back to the Study so we can talk about your future guards."

Alfred groaned and covered his face with his hands; he had forgotten about the stupid guards. But at least he had a choice about who it was now. That was more than he could've hoped for a few days ago.

He looked back to Arthur, who was scanning the shelves and not paying attention to Alfred. What was it about these books that were so important? He understood that they were from the King and Queen, but really, what was so interesting about what a bunch of old people wrote? It was probably stuff about how much money the Kingdom had made that year or something dumb like that.

Despite his thoughts, curiosity got the best of him in the end. Moving slowly so Arthur wouldn't notice, he leaned close to the bookcase and tried to read the words written on the spines. Some of them were too faded to read while others were written in some strange language that he had never seen before. He got bored quickly and was about to move away when one specific book caught his eye.

He stopped and turned back around, staring at the title. The book wasn't anything fancy; a simple dark green spine with small letters outlined in a dull gold. It wasn't the tallest, smallest or most expensive looking book, but the words were what had grabbed his attention.

Unlike the surrounding books, this book's title was written in English, making it easy for Alfred to read it. Eyes wide, he read the title: _The Wild Card Prophecy_.

Instantly his stomach dropped to the ground and his hands became clammy. Inwardly panicking, he reread the title but the words hadn't changed. Since when was there a prophecy about the Wild Card? Was this the book Prussia had been hinting about? Would this tell him the answers he was looking for?

He reached forward to grab the book, but cried out and yanked his hand back when a painful shock shot through his fingers and up his arm. As he watched, a white see-through barrier suddenly appeared between himself and the bookcase. The white wall- which hadn't been there a second before- pulsed once, as if in warning, before fading back into the air.

"You don't honestly think I would let just anyone touch my books, do you?" Arthur's voice came from behind Alfred and he whirled around to find Arthur standing there, arms crossed and looking amused.

"What is it?" Alfred asked, rubbing his hand. "The white wall thing. Is it some type of magic again?"

"Yes," Arthur said, coming to stand next to him. He looked up and down the bookcase, saying, "It's a protective barrier that prevents anyone I don't know about from taking my books."

"Don't you think that you're taking this protection security thing a little too seriously?" Alfred whined. "You said yourself that no one would be able to even get in here without you."

"Not at all. These books are important; I cannot risk the chance of someone stealing them."

"Well, I'm not 'someone'; I won't steal your books! I promise! I just want to take a peek at one of them…" He looked back at the specific book he wanted, his voice faltering.

Arthur followed his gaze and narrowed his eyes when he noticed which book Alfred wanted. "Why would you want to look at that book out of all of them?"

"I just…want to see what it's all about. There aren't a lot of books about the Wild Card at Hearts." Correction; there were _no_ books in Hearts about the Wild Card. He had been in the Hearts Castle Library nearly every day of his life thanks to Kiku but he had never come across the topic before meeting Prussia in No-Man's-Land.

Arthur frowned, considering what Alfred had said. "I suppose…it won't hurt. You do know what the Wild Card is, at least?" he asked, turning to Alfred. "Your Joker correspondent must have mentioned it to your King and Queen."

"O-of course!" Alfred said, flushing. "I know what it is; I just don't know a ton about it is all."

"But you should already know about the Prophecy." Arthur shook his head. "You really don't know much about the old legacies, do you?"

"A lot of the old legacies were removed from our Library," Alfred said, annoyed. That's what Prussia had told him, at least. Hadn't he mentioned something about the old legacies being covered up the first time they had met?

"You should know already why they were removed though!" Arthur said with frustration. Alfred blinked, surprised. How did Arthur know about the disappearance of the old legacy books? Especially in Hearts of all places? What did he know about the old legacies that Alfred didn't? It had to have something to do with this book!

"Well, I never really paid attention in school anyways," Alfred said. "Can't I please look at it? I promise I won't damage it or anything!"

Arthur sent him a withering look. "You wouldn't have learned about it in school. You would've learned about the Prophecy when you became the Jack! Or at least you should have."

"Well I didn't," Alfred said with a shrug. "Does it matter? I just want to look at the book for a second."

He looked at Arthur pleadingly, making his eyes big and glossy and pouting for good measure. Arthur's annoyed expression melted once he saw Alfred's face, replaced by a blank look. Then Arthur blinked and shook his head, sighing.

"Fine, you can look at the damn book, but-!" He grabbed Alfred's hand before the teenager could activate the barrier and get shocked once more. "But, you have to let me show you how to get through the barrier first."

"You- you're gonna show me how to get through the barrier?" Alfred repeated, shocked. "But you said you didn't trust anyone to touch your books!"

"And you said that you weren't going to do anything to damage them," Arthur shot back. "And as annoying as you are sometimes, I don't believe that you would purposefully try to cause harm to something that means so much to me. Am I correct?"

"Uh, yeah, of course," Alfred said. "But I still don't get why you trust me with all of this super secretive information." He gestured around the room at all of the books. "I mean, once I know how to get past the barrier I can get to all of the books, right?"

"I suppose, but it's more difficult than that," Arthur said. "It's not just a simple matter of teaching you a spell and you repeating it back to me. Everyone would be able to use magic if it were that easy."

"I didn't think about it like that before," Alfred said, brow furrowing. "There aren't a lot of magic users in Hearts."

"I figured," Arthur said dryly. "Now, let me explain how to do this."

He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for a speech and Alfred felt his excitement start to fade. Was this going to be some boring lecture-?

"One can only perform magic if he or she has magic inside of them," Arthur began to explain. "It's not something you can study or practice until it works; you have to be born with the ability to use magic. Otherwise you can chant and study all you want but will never actually be able to perform any kind of spell."

"So, I wouldn't be able to get past your barrier unless I had some kind of magic inside of me?" Alfred asked.

"Correct."

"But how do you know I have magic? I've never studied it or done any spells or anything-"

"Weren't you listening before?"Arthur asked with a sigh. "Studying doesn't help you; it's a gift you're born with. And I know you have magic because you were able to use the Iron Bow. No one would be able to shoot those arrows unless they had magic." A skeptical look remained on Arthur's face even though his words sounded sure.

"Wait- what? The Iron Bow? Are you talking about that silver bow thing you picked out for me when we made that bet-?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"But- but that means- you tricked me!" Alfred gasped and pointed an accusing finger in Arthur's face. Arthur's expression quickly soured. "If I didn't have magic then I wouldn't have been able to use the Bow and you would've won the bet! But you already _knew_ that, didn't you-?"

"Alright, yes, I tried to trick you!" Arthur snapped and slapped Alfred's finger away. "But it didn't work, did it? Now can we just drop this topic-"

"I can't believe it; you _cheated_ to win-!"

"Alfred!" Arthur shouted, face flushed a deep shade of red. "Stop, please! I'm sorry for what I did; I'll even make it up to you if I can! I understand what I did was wrong but I didn't win the bet in the end anyways, and I've learned my lesson by now, so can we please _stop talking about it_?!"

Alfred pouted, honestly hurt. What Arthur had done was more than unfair; it was also cruel in a sense that by doing so he thought Alfred would have no option but to lose the bet. But as he stared at Arthur, who was bright red and had his hands clenched into fists at his sides, he could see regret and guilt as well as embarrassment in the Queen's green eyes.

"…what else were you going to explain to me about magic?" Alfred asked after a pause, and Arthur's eyes lit up. He gave Alfred a wobbly smile and Alfred half smiled back.

"Well, er, I don't know if you know this or not, but all magic can be split into two categories," Arthur said, fumbling over his words. He held up two fingers for Alfred to see. "The first, which is the easier but more complicated kind, is called Natural Magic. This strength of this type of magic can vary from person to person, depending on who you are and what areas you are talented with. This magic occurs naturally without the use of spells or incantation."

Alfred tilted his head to the side. "Like what I did with the Bow?"

Arthur nodded. "When the Triumvirates use their Eternal Implements, it is also a form of Natural Magic. The Jokers too use Mirage Magic that allows them to blend in with their surroundings without needing spells or incantations. Another positive characteristic is that most weak _Un_natural Magic can be broken by Natural Magic."

Alfred said, "So…the other type of magic is Unnatural?"

"Good. Unnatural Magic is the opposite of Natural; it is forced by use of spells, indicantations, potions and a number of other maneuvers. Everyone who has magic can use Unnatural Magic with enough practice. It is not as strong as Natural, but it can make your life considerably easier."

"So what you did with the wall back there was Unnatural?" Alfred jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Yes, but it is very complicated and powerful type of Unnatural Magic; you wouldn't be able to break it by using just Natural Magic. However, this invisible barrier- also created with Unnatural Magic- is a completly different story." Arthur gestured at the bookcase and stared at him pointedly.

"What are you saying?" Alfred asked, brow furrowed. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You should be able to break my spell!" he said. "_Strong_ Natural Magic can easily overpower _weak_ Unnatural Magic. It's just a simple matter of wanting it bad enough."

"Yeah, but that 'weak' magic shot some kind of sting thing up my arm!" Alfred said and folded his arms. "And let me tell you, it really hurt!"

"Belt up, it wasn't that bad."

"Was too!"

"Alfred, I am not getting into an argument with you over this!" he said, rubbing his eyes. "It's an easy job that most magicians can do before they even begin training!"

"I'm no magician," Alfred said and folded his arms. "I can't do any of that voodoo stuff like you can."

"You could, if you learned more about magic," Arthur said. When Alfred still looked unimpressed, Arthur snapped, "Listen, do you want that book or not? The only way you will get it is if you listen and do as I say. Otherwise that book is staying behind that barrier and you will never be able to read what's inside."

Alfred sulked. "Fine, what do I have to do?" he grumbled.

"Alright, the thing with Natural Magic is that you don't need words to convey what you want to get done," Arthur said and gestured for Alfred to come closer to the bookcase. "It's quite simple, actually. You should be able to get through my barrier without a problem-"

"_Should_ being the key word."

"Don't be like that. I know you can do this."

"How?" Alfred asked, still doubtful.

"I've never seen anyone pick up on how to use the Iron Bow as quickly as you did," Arthur said and Alfred felt heat rise to his cheeks at the compliment. "It took me years to be able to shoot any kind of blue light behind the arrows. If you can do something as difficult as that, you will have no trouble getting past a silly barrier. Like I said before, you just need to want it bad enough." He looked at Alfred seriously. "Do you want that book bad enough to make it past that barrier?"

Alfred blinked, surprised at the intensity of the question. Did he want the book bad enough? He thought back to all of the jabs and hints that Prussia had thrown at him, and all of the uncertainty surrounding the whole Wild Card ordeal. Anger flashed through him. He _needed_ to get the answers regardless of some dumb barrier that Arthur put up. Pain be damned.

"I can get past it," Alfred told Arthur, eyes hard. "Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it."

Arthur smiled. "It's a good thing you're so determined. You might not have been able to do this otherwise. Now, this going to sound strange, but listen to what I have to say."

"Okay," Alfred agreed.

He took a deep breath, and then quickly said, "You have to force your hand through the barrier."

Alfred stared. "_What_? What do you mean force my hand through the barrier? I tried that the first time and you saw how well that went."

"I know, I know, I was there. But trust me on this; you have to go through the barrier to get the book. The barrier should give when your hand pushes against it. It's like elastic, almost. If you keep pressing against it, it will break."

Alfred swallowed. "And it won't shock me when I do that?"

"Not if you do it right. The barrier will flow around your hand, similar to the way water surrounds your body when you swim in a lake or ocean. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"Kinda." He looked at the bookcase nervously, chewing his bottom lip.

"You have to _want_ this for it to work," Arthur stressed. "You have to need it with every fiber in your body. Picture what you want in your mind, and then make it happen. The magic inside of you will do the rest."

"And you're sure I can do this?" Alfred asked, looking back at Arthur.

"Absolutely," Arthur said seriously, his green eyes blazing. "You_ can_ do this, Alfred. Trust me on that."

Alfred nodded and turned back to the bookcase. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself. He didn't know why he was freaking out so much about something so little. But the fact of the matter was Prussia had told him that he had some kind of special magic inside of him. And depending on how he used this strong magic, he was going to change the Kingdoms for good. This here was the first step in learning how to use magic in general. This, no matter how trivial it seemed, was important.

Alfred took another deep breath, screwed his eyes shut, and plunged his hand forward.

"Ah-!" he hissed and jerked away as the white barrier reappeared. It pulsed brightly, illuminating their faces before fading once more.

"Alfred!" Arthur said in alarm as Alfred turned in a circle, shaking his hand out. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." He cursed under his breath and massaged his hand, eyes stinging from the pain.

"You have to focus!" Arthur said, sounding upset. "It won't work unless you focus! You have to _want_ this!"

Alfred grit his teeth, nodding. He wanted this. No, he needed this. He needed the answers, he need all of these questions he had to go away and never come back. He needed to know why, and this book could possibly hold the perfect solution.

Arthur had said before that he needed to picture what he wanted, and then make it happen in real life. He imagined the book in his hand, its weight, how it might feel, the smell of the pages and the faint dust that might rise when he turned it over in his hands.

He kept this image in his mind, and clenched his hands into fists. That book would be his regardless, one way or another. Even if he had to run at the barrier face first and end up going to the Medical Ward, he was _going to get that book_.

A rush of determination flashed through him and he punched his hand towards the bookcase without a second thought. His hand collided with something hard and the barrier blazed white. Painful shocks passed through his fingers and ran up his arm repeatedly, but this time was different. This time, Alfred wasn't giving up. He needed that book and he was going to do whatever it took to get it; the consequences didn't matter. Alfred lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut, and braced his feet against the floor. With every last bit of strength in his body, he pressed the palms of his hands flat against the barrier and _pushed_.

To his surprise, the barrier suddenly flexed inwards, as if made of elastic. He almost stumbled from shock, but managed to focus and keep fighting against the resistance the barrier was putting up.

"You're doing it! Its working!" he heard Arthur cry out from behind. "Keep going! I know you can break it, Alfred!"

Alfred nodded, trying to concentrate. He was pushing even harder now, refusing to give in to some stupid magical barrier. He was Alfred Jones of Hearts and was going to win this battle. He was going to get what he wanted, no matter the cost.

By now the barrier was heavily curved inwards, so much so that it was close to touching the bookcase. With one last burst of energy, Alfred put all of his strength into his hands and shoved against the barrier with all of his might.

And then, suddenly, there was _no_ resistance whatsoever and he was falling forward, almost meeting the bookcase face first-

He caught himself at the last second, slowly straightening to stare at his hand. The barrier was still there, but his hand was going straight _through_ it, almost like how he imagined a ghost would walk through walls. He tightened his hand into a fist and watched in awe as the barrier moved to fit snugly against his skin.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Arthur asked and Alfred turned to look at him.

"I- I did it," Alfred said and grinned. The pain from before had faded completely and better yet, it left no markings on his palms. Now all he felt was glee at his success.

Arthur smiled back. "I told you that you could do it."

"Huh," Alfred said as he went elbow length deep before pulling back so just his fingertips remained on the other side of the barrier. "It's really cool and all. I thought it would be flashier though, seeing that it's magic and all," he admitted.

"Natural Magic isn't very 'flashy', as you called it. It literally happens naturally so it rarely leaves any visible traces behind. When you use your Eternal Implement are there many lights and indicantations involved?"

For a moment Alfred panicked, thinking that Arthur was talking about Washington D.C. Then he realized Arthur was talking about the Jack of Hearts' Eternal Implement, not the King of Spades. "Oh. Um, no, I guess not…" Kiku's Eternal Implement didn't involve anything flashy at least.

"Well there you have it," Arthur said gruffly. He nodded at the bookcase. "Didn't you want something?"

"Oh, yeah, right." Alfred reached out, grasping the book by its spine and pulling it out with the rest of his arm. The second his body wasn't on the other side, the barrier faded again, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there in the first place.

"Would I have to force my way through again if I wanted another book?" Alfred asked Arthur.

"No, you've broken the spell once. You will be able to get past it without any problem now. I'll leave you to your reading now, if you don't mind," he said, looking at the book in Alfred's hands. "I still have to put away my own books now."

"Okay. Oh, and um, thanks for showing me how to get the book and everything," Alfred said lamely.

"It's no bother," Arthur said, looking amused. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

Alfred made a face. "Thanks."

As Arthur turned and walked away, Alfred slowly opened the cover to the first page. He was almost afraid of what he was going to find inside but he wasn't going to shy away after everything he had done to get the book in the first place. He was shocked to find, however, that when he turned to the first page he couldn't read a single word.

The entire page- no, wait, the entire _book_- was written in some strange language unknown to him. And that was saying something, coming from Alfred who knew all of the main languages in the world.

"Uh, Arthur?" Alfred called out.

Alfred heard Arthur's heavy sigh from across the room. "What is it now?"

"Why can't I read this?" Alfred said and pointed to the book. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"It's written in Old English," he said. Alfred just looked at him blankly.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to read Old English?" Arthur said incredulously and Alfred blushed. "I thought you knew- but then why would you go through so much trouble to get a book you can't even read-?"

"How was I supposed to know the book was written in Old English?" Alfred said defensively. "The title is in 'Modern' English so why wouldn't the book be like that too?"

"It's an old book. I've had to rewrite the title after it was rubbed off a few years ago," Arthur explained. "But the whole book is in Old English. Blimey, you really can't read it after everything you went through to get it?"

Alfred frowned, brow furrowed. "You're just making fun of me now."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault you picked a book you can't even read-"

"Ar_thur_," Alfred whined. "Stop teasing me. Can't you just, like, translate this for me or something?"

"I don't know," Arthur said thoughtfully. "Can I?"

"Yes, I know you can. Please?" He made a pouty face once more, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Alright, okay, fine. Just don't- _don't_, I said don't, Alfred- make that face. Ever again. I can't stand looking at it," he grumbled as he came back to Alfred's side. Alfred beamed when Arthur snatched the book out of his hands, quickly skimming the first page.

"Why am I reading this when I already know this whole book by heart?" Arthur muttered out loud. Alfred was about to ask him what he meant when Arthur slammed the book shut and handed it back to the teenager.

"W-what are you doing?" Alfred asked, caught off-guard.

"I'm just going to explain it to you instead of translating the whole book," Arthur said matter-of-factly. "It'll be much simpler this way, I assure you."

"Um. Okay, then." He took the book, holding it in his hands gently, and waited for Arthur to explain.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not, but London- my Eternal Implement- has the ability to tell the future," Arthur said and Alfred kept silent, knowing all too well of London's powers. "Years ago my ancestor, Queen Elizabeth Tudor, had a vision that changed the course of the world and how the Triumvirates ruled their people."

"What was it?" Alfred asked, almost dreading the answer. Arthur glanced at him sharply before turning away and staring off into the distance.

"It was the whole world in ruins," Arthur said softly and Alfred felt his blood run cold.

"What do you mean?" His voice was surprisingly steady.

"All the Suits were destroyed. Everything was torn apart, not a single building left standing. Hardly anyone was left alive."

"But- what happened? And why, for Ace's sake?"

Arthur sighed and ran his hand through his messy blond hair. "Well, it's like the cover says." He gestured to the book in Alfred's hands. "It was the Wild Card. In Elizabeth's vision, the Wild Card was the reason why the world was destroyed. I'm not sure exactly how or why the whole thing will be the Wild Card's fault, but that's what she told her King and the rest of the Triumvirates at the time." His eyes hardened, turning into dark emeralds. "That's why some of the old legends have been removed from the Libraries; if a person doesn't know that he or she is the Wild Card, they cannot possibly destroy the world. Of course, it might have no affect at all on the future, but it's the best protection we have. Otherwise, we're all doomed." He turned back to give Alfred a somewhat hopeless smile, but stopped halfway when he noticed the look on the teenager's face.

"Alfred!" he said, clear panic in his voice. "Alfred, what's wrong?"

Alfred was standing like a statue, arms and legs frozen while his hands gripped the book so tightly they turned white. His face was pale as the moon and his eyes were huge and unblinking. It didn't even look like he was breathing.

"Alfred!" he said again, getting more alarmed by the second.

Suddenly Alfred sucked in a huge, stuttering breath which turned into small gasps as he tried to breathe again. He could feel his hands shaking as disbelief and fear took over. He couldn't think straight. He didn't understand. What did this mean? _He_ was going to destroy the world? But- but how was that even possible-?

And then it hit him. The war. The war between all four Suits. He had already seen it himself; Spades brought down to its knees by Hearts and Clubs. That didn't explain how the whole world was going to be destroyed, of course, but it could happen. It was definitely possible, and _it could happen_.

"Alfred!"

He was jerked out of his thoughts when one of Arthur's hands shook him roughly by the shoulder. He blinked, his eyes coming into focus to see Arthur staring at him with something close to fear. As soon as he saw Alfred was alright, he sighed with relief and the terror disappeared from his eyes.

"Thank Ace, are you alright? You scared me for a moment there." He shook his head and removed his hand from Alfred's shoulder.

"Um, yeah, I'm okay," Alfred lied, rubbing the back of his head. His voice had the slightest of tremors. "Sorry, I'm just a little freaked out that the world might end, is all."

Arthur snorted. "Don't worry, we won't let that happen. None of the Triumvirates will. Now that we know a Wild Card exists, none of us will stop searching until we find it."

Alfred swallowed with difficulty. "And what will you do if you, uh, find him? Or her. Or- whatever."

Arthur frowned. "I'm not exactly sure," he admitted. "I'll probably hold a meeting of somesort with my Royal Deck. But, in my opinion at least, there's really only one way to make sure this Wild Card won't be the one to destroy the world."

"And what way is that?" Alfred asked, dread building up inside of him.

Arthur looked back at him, pursing his lips. "Well, it's obvious isn't it? We have to kill the Wild Card. That's the only way to ensure the safety of our Kingdoms, and ultimately, the world."

-o0o-

"We think it will be shortly afterwards, but it seems a terrible thing to gamble with such big stakes in diplomacy without having your master card in your hand."  
>Henry L. Stimson<p>

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***(Sorry for the lengthy explanation but I feel that I need to explain this) Numbers can keep track of information in regard to Tattoos via magic. Mainly, they can tell when a person's Tattoo changes. In addition, if that same person has not attempted to leave that Kingdom within a full day after the change, the Numbers are allowed to send members of the Army to force this person to leave. They know when a person's Tattoo changes because the Numbers can keep track of every Tattoo of every person born in that specific Kingdom. If the baby's Tattoo does not match that of the Kingdom, they can force the parents to give up their child to the correct Kingdom.**

**This is why spies can go into Kingdoms without the Numbers knowing who they are there. Since a spy would not have been born in the Kingdom he or she was sent to spy on, the Numbers would have no record of him or her being in their Kingdom or have any means of tracking them. However in the case of Alfred and Matthew's parents, the Numbers automatically picked up on the fact that Matthew was a Diamond and not a Heart the moment he was born. Their father was forced to leave Hearts with Matthew immediately lest his true identity be revealed to the Numbers. Their mother on the other hand stayed because she was going to die soon and she also still had to give birth to Alfred. Alfred being the Wild Card was able to stay in Hearts without alerting the Numbers to the fact that he was not truly a Heart. No Number in any Kingdom has any means of tracking a Wild Card.**


	16. Chapter 14 part 2, Spades Capital Town

**10/15/2012 **

**Do all of you guys hate me yet? Because I totally would. I am so sorry that its taking so long for these chapters to come out. But I promise that I am always working on this story; I will never abandon it no matter how much time passes in between chapters. So please don't think that I've stopped writing because I haven't!**

**So remember when I said that the fourteenth chapter was going to have two parts? Well, I lied. Halfway through writing this I realized that I was going to have to create another part- _again_. The third part will be the last of this huge chapter and then I'll finally be done with what I call the 'explanation chapter'. **

**I also want to say that we are nearing the middle of this story- but I'm definitely not there yet. There's still a lot more of this thing to go, so thank you for reading this far! You guys are all so amazing and wonderful and I hope you like this next part!**

**I do not own Hetalia. Beta'd by the wonderful waterbringer.**

-o0o-

_Spades Capital Town_

"…and then we need to get some more of that purple silk; the same type we got from the southern merchants the other day, remember? The ladies working in the Clothing Room were especially pleased with it, and a few of the nobles want it to replace the current curtains hanging in the Throne Room," Toris babbled as he read from a long list. Alfred followed a step behind, staring off into the sky absentmindedly. The sun was just starting to set, casting shadows left and right as people bustled around the marketplace.

"And after that, we only have a few more things to get and we are done!" Toris finally folded the list in half and smiled happily at Alfred. His smile quickly faded when he noticed Alfred wasn't paying attention.

"Alfred!" he said, more loudly this time. The teenager blinked and refocused his gaze on the servant.

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear what I just said?" Toris asked, exasperated.

"Erm." Alfred racked his brain for the answer. "Something about purple silk?"

Toris sighed and shook his head. "Are you alright? You haven't seemed much like yourself since we came here."

Alfred shrugged. "I've got some stuff on my mind, I guess."

After the shocking news from Arthur- really, could this week get any worse?- they had left the secret room and returned to the Joint Study. There Arthur had asked Alfred about which guards he would like to keep an eye on him. Alfred had listed off some names at random, including the Simon Amuls from the night before. In all honestly, he really didn't care much about who looked after him, as long as they weren't the same guards from the Gathering. That, and it would be really awesome if they let him have some space. He didn't need people breathing down his neck all the time.

"Is it something about what happened with the Queen earlier today?" Toris' voice was laced with worry. "What exactly did he want to talk to you about?"

"Not anything important really," Alfred said, trying to keep it general. "He wanted to know what guards I wanted and stuff."

"Does he-" Toris hesitated, and then lowered his voice. "Does he know that you are not the Jack?"

Alfred snapped his head around to stare at his friend, horrified.

"NO!" he said loudly, terrified of what Arthur would do if- when, he corrected himself- he discovered Alfred had been lying to him. "Uh, I mean-" he stuttered at Toris' startled expression. "I mean, no, not yet."

"I see," Toris said after a pause. He looked away awkwardly and Alfred grimaced.

"I just don't want him to know yet," he said lamely. "I don't want anyone to know yet. It would ruin everything…" His voice trailed off and he thought back to all that was riding on this one lie; his relationships with the people who thought they knew him, his own personal safety against a Kingdom that removed him from his true home, and even the fate of the world.

Toris smiled gently. "I can't say I exactly understand your position- even after all this time, I still do not know everything- but I do sympathize with you, as your friend. I just wish you would not have to lie about who you truly are. You still love and feel like you belong to Hearts, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course," Alfred said. "I do like Spades, Toris, honestly. But, like I told you before; Hearts will always be my _home_. I just can't forget about it, even after living someplace else as cool as Spades for a few weeks. But I would just complicate things if I told everyone the truth now. And it wouldn't complicate things in a good way; trust me on that."

"I believe you," Toris said honestly. "I just wish you would not have to lie."

That was one thing Alfred really liked about Toris; he never asked questions and he never probed for more information. He just accepted everything Alfred told him without blinking an eye.

"So do I, but it's too late now. They're going to find out eventually in the end, so I'd rather enjoy the peace before the storm for as long as I can. Do you know what I mean?"

"Not really, but I think I understand. I too enjoy that peace. There was never any real harmony in Clubs, but I can find it here in Spades. That is another reason why I love it here so much."

They continued to walk through the streets, every now and then stopping to pick up another object for the Castle. When they passed a particularly big crowd, Alfred said lowly, "I never really understood that."

"Understood what?"

"Why you didn't tell anyone about who I am. I mean, you're so loyal to Spades and everything but you're choosing to keep important information from its Triumvirate. Information that could help Spades win the war, if only you told Arthur that I'm not the real Jack of Hearts. But you choose not to. Why?"

"You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?" Toris asked, sounding almost amused. Alfred blushed. He had been wondering about it for a while, but only now had he found the time to ask.

"Well, first of all, it's not really my secret to tell," Toris said and looked sideways at Alfred. "The only reason I know is because of circumstance, not trust. If I understand correctly, you would not have told me that you were not the Jack if I had not known about Feliciano Vargas beforehand. I don't have the right to tell anyone the truth; only you have that ability. And I'm sure there are still things you haven't told me, things that obviously keep you from telling the Queen. How can I tell my Triumvirate without knowing if it may or may not put my friend's life in danger?"

Alfred frowned. "You really worry that much about me?"

"Of course. You are my friend. And even if you do keep things from me, I know it is not because of ill will."

"You're not mad that I don't tell you stuff? What if I lie to you or something and you get hurt because of it? Why do you trust me so much?" Alfred's tone had turned frustrated by the last question. Toris' faith in him made absolutely no sense! What had he ever done to gain it?

"You are my friend, Alfred," Toris said firmly. "That alone is enough. I trust you to do what is best for the sake of our friendship. If there is something you cannot tell me, it is because I have not gained your full trust, not the other way around. You have much more at stake than I do, anyways. But- as for your question earlier- I doubt you would lie to me in such a way that I would be harmed."

"You…" Alfred shook his head, smiling slightly. "You are crazy. I can't believe you trust me that much."

Toris laughed. "Why shouldn't I? I do not think you are a bad person. I do not think you would purposefully hurt me. As far as I can tell, you are good and kind. In my eyes you have done nothing wrong and I doubt you ever will."

Alfred felt his cheeks warm at the compliment and he looked away, embarrassed. "Thanks," he muttered, thinking back to Elizabeth Tudor's prophecy and wondering what would exactly happen if it came true.

"Come this way," Toris instructed, jerking Alfred out of his thoughts. Alfred quickly got out of the way of the crowd as they stopped by another stand. This one sold the purple silk Toris had mentioned before.

"You said you trust me," Alfred said while Toris told the seller the amount they wanted.

Toris looked up at him as the man went to go get the silk. "I've just told you that I do. Why? Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, there is actually." He stared down at his hands, rubbing his right thumb over left palm before focusing back on Toris. "I need to find an expert on Tattoos. Do you know anyone?"

He had it all figured out. If he wanted to know more about being a Wild Card- not that he was happy that he was going to somehow destroy the world or anything, but he still needed to know what his powers were- he needed to know more about Tattoos. Like how they began, why he didn't have one, and who controlled the way they changed. Maybe, somehow, it would lead him to the person that could explain what his magic was.

Toris blinked, taken aback. "What? A Tattoo expert? Why in the world would you need a-?"

"Please don't ask me questions," Alfred pleaded. "I won't be able to answer any of them. I just need to know if you can recommend anyone for me; like a professor or a researcher or someone like that. If you can't tell me let me know and I won't bother you again. But if you can…"

"I," he frowned. "I don't know who to recommend, to be honest. I might be able to find someone better if I knew more about why you need this person."

"Take it from me, it would be better if you didn't know the reason why," Alfred said seriously. Toris twisted his mouth thoughtfully.

"I think…I think I might know someone who can help you," he finally said.

Alfred instantly perked up. "You do?" he asked excitedly.

Toris nodded, though still hesitant. "It's one of the few people who belong to the Royal Deck, actually. His title is Greece, and his number is four. I don't know him that well, but I do know that he has the most knowledge about the old legends, aside from the Queen and Jack of course. Because of that, he may be able to help you learn more about Tattoos and where they come from or possibly how they work. Other than him, I can't really think of anyone who can help you. I hope that helps."

"It totally does, you have no idea! Thanks so much, Toris!" He briefly grabbed Toris for a sincere- but strong- hug. "You're like a saint or something!"

"I will take that as a compliment," Toris said breathlessly as he gently pried himself from the teenager's grip. He nodded his thanks to the seller when the man handed him the silk they had needed and paid the correct amount.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" Toris asked while he crossed 'silk' off of the list of items they needed to get from the market.

"No, I don't think so," Alfred said, scratching the back of his head and staring off into the distance. "All I have to do now is find this Greece guy and I'll be alright."

"Well, he's usually hanging around the edge of the plaza where the cats sit in the shade," Toris said and Alfred's head whipped around to stare at him. "If you want to go there now, you might find him. You could go talk to him if you want."

"You'll let me go? Don't you need help with carrying the stuff back?" Alfred asked, dumbfounded.

"I can handle it, Alfred," Toris said with a small smile. "I'm not as weak as you peg me for; I had to do all of this on my own before you came around."

"You sure?" Alfred asked again. "You don't mind me abandoning you or anything?"

Toris rolled his eyes. "Just _go_, I said I'll be fine!" He gave Alfred a playful push in the direction of the plaza.

"Thank you, Toris! You're awesome!" he called back over his shoulder as he was swept away by the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Toris give him a small wave before he was completely out of sight.

Sometimes Alfred wondered if Toris actually _was_ a saint or something, sent to him just so that the servant could help him solve all of the riddles Prussia shot at him. Toris was amazing and in general a really great person. Alfred hoped that one day he would be able to be as honest with Toris as he was with Alfred. And maybe- if he was very lucky- they would still remain friends after all of this was over. But until then, he could only hope.

The plaza was at the center of the Capital Town. Every road in the Town was somehow connected to the plaza, which was very convenient but at the same time made the place almost unbearably crowded. A lot of people liked to hang around the edges where the few trees gave off shade and comfortable places to rest. It was the same place where the Diamonds partying party- did that even make sense?- had taken place last night.

Alfred stood in the middle of the plaza, amazed by the change between now and then. Already the decorations and different stations had been removed, replaced by more merchants attempting to sell their goods. Though, Alfred noted with a smile, there were a few workers scattered throughout the plaza who were scrubbing food stains off of the floor and surrounding walls. Had it really only been one day since he saw the vision from London? It was hard to believe how fast the time went.

He scanned the edges of the crowd, searching for the man Toris had told him about. His anticipation quickly evaporated, however, when he realized that he didn't have a clue about what the heck the guy looked like.

"Well. This sucks." He frowned to himself, annoyed that he hadn't thought to ask Toris about this beforehand. Was he really that stupid?

The only thing he did know about this Greece guy was that he sat in the shade with a bunch of cats, for whatever reason. It didn't seem like a lot to go on, but he was here so he might as well try to figure out if he was here or not. Alfred's eyes flashed back and forth across the plaza for a few minutes before deciding to randomly pick a tree to go search under.

The largest tree that bordered the plaza was nestled between two large buildings. It was placed in such a way that it almost created its own corner, isolating it from the rest of the trees. Alfred headed in its direction, not really expecting much, but he slowed down when he spotted a lone figure in the shade.

The man was sleeping, his head turned to the side as he lay on top of a waist high stone wall. The wall was thick and bordered a plot of dirt covered with roots; the roots in turn lead to the large tree that was nestled between the backs of two small buildings. The man had brown hair, but that was about all Alfred could tell as the man was facing away from him. He wore simple clothing; plain blue pants, white shirt and a dark jacket cast on top of the tree's roots. There was nothing fancy or sophisticated about the guy. If he was Greece, Alfred wasn't impressed.

Something brushed against his leg and he looked down, startled, only to discover a lone cat rubbing against the bottom of his leg. He leaned down and gently rubbed the cat's head. The cat purred, rubbing its nose into the palm of his hand. Alfred smiled slightly. He had always liked cats; they were always scattered throughout the town where he and Kiku had grown up. Apparently, it was like that here too.

Then a thought occurred to him and he frowned. He looked back up at the man, who hadn't moved a muscle, and back down at the cat. As softly as he could Alfred hefted the squirming cat into his arms and walked closer to the man.

Alfred leaned over the man, still holding the cat, and realized that he was sleeping. On the man's other side, several cats were sprawled over tree's visible roots. This had to be him, Alfred realized with a jolt. This had to be Greece.

The cat in his arms was squirming even more now, twisting and turning so much that Alfred had a hard time keeping his hold on the animal. He placed the cat on the man's chest and took a step back to watch. The cat turned its head sideways and stared at him, eyes unblinking and yellow, before turning to gaze at the sleeping man's face. The cat padded forward and sniffed the man's cheek.

Alfred likewise inched forward, pursing his lips and trying to figure out what to do next. Slowly he reached out and poked the man's cheek.

The man moved suddenly and Alfred leapt backwards, surprised. The man's brow furrowed and he groaned, rolling onto his side so that he faced Alfred. He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them, blinking into the light. His eyes, Alfred noticed, were green, though a different shade from Arthur's.

When the man's eyes focused on the teenager standing awkwardly in front of him, he frowned. He made to stand up and the cat on his chest hissed lightly before jumping off onto the stone wall next to him. The man yawned and scratched the back of his head while he looked Alfred up and down. Alfred shifted from foot to foot and clasped his hands behind his back, waiting for the other man to speak.

"Who," the man started to say before yawning again. Then he started over, saying, "Who are you?"

"Er, I'm Alfred?" he said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

The man's look was blank for a moment but then recognition flashed through his yes. "Ah, yes, I remember now. You're the, the, the Heart, correct? The Jack the Queen captured?"

Alfred scowled. Really, was that all he was known for? "Yeah, I am," he said sullenly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

The man shrugged. "Why should I care? You're here, you're there, what does it matter? You're still alive, aren't you? That's all that matters in the end."

Alfred tried his best not to gape. Why was this guy so laid back? Was he messing with him, or was he normally like this?

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Alfred managed to say.

"Well, now I know who you are, what is it exactly that you want?"

"I wanted to ask the Royal Deck member known as Greece something," Alfred said. "Are you Greece?"

To his extreme relief the man nodded, a relaxed expression on his face. "I am. You can call me Heracles though; that's what most people know me as anyways."

"Thank Ace," Alfred sighed and plopped himself down on the stone wall next to Greece- er, Heracles. "I was worried that I was going to have to search the whole plaza or something."

"Lucky for you, you don't, though you did interrupt my nap." He sent a glowering look at Alfred who smiled sheepishly. "And now that you have my attention, what is it exactly that you want, boy?"

"Well, uh, this is gonna sound weird," Alfred said, fidgeting a little. "But I wanted to know some more about Tattoos and its history and stuff, and Toris said that you would be the best person to help learn about everything."

"Tattoos?" Heracles said around another yawn. "Now that's a topic I haven't heard about in a while. Well, except," he paused, thinking. "There was that one time…"

"What?" Alfred sat up straighter. "What other time?"

"Oh, you know, the Queen and Jack wanted to know more about Tattoos when they first began to rule. They had some interesting questions, as I recall."

"Like what?" Alfred asked, somewhat wary. Had they came to Heracles wanting to ask questions about the Wild Card, just as he had?

Heracles eyed him tiredly, raising an eyebrow. "I'm afraid that's between the Triumvirate and myself. I can't give out private information such as that."

"Oh." He leaned away, a little disappointed but not altogether surprised. He kept forgetting that he was a Heart; an enemy of Spades. "Sorry."

Heracles smiled. "Don't be; it's not your fault which Kingdom you belong too. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Alfred frowned. He wasn't sure if he liked this guy yet or not. "What do you mean? I mean, I know I can't control which Kingdom I belong to-" well, technically he _could_, according to Prussia, but he wasn't going to tell Heracles that. "-but s_omething_ has to. Do you know what does?"

"Of course," Heracles sighed. "The answer is so simple, so obvious. Most people can't believe they didn't think of it before when I tell them the answer."

"Well, what is it?" Alfred asked, impatient. Like he cared how easy the answer was.

"It's the Aces," Heracles said simply. "They control practically everything, in case you didn't know; the Eternal Implements, your Tattoo, the very Kingdoms themselves could not exist without the Aces. They are the very source of magic in the world; without them, the Kingdoms would fall apart."

Alfred blinked. He had always known the Aces were important- everyone did- but no one knew exactly why or what they did. As far as he knew, they had disappeared out of the history books ages ago. That is until…until Alfred had seen the Ace of Spades among those visions days ago.

He swallowed thickly. Apparently one of the most important beings in their world had contacted him. For what reasons, he had no idea. But it couldn't be anything good as far as he was concerned.

"I…I don't really understand," Alfred admitted. "How can they control the Eternal Implements and Tattoos? How can they be the 'source of magic'?"

"Well, they created the Eternal Implements," Heracles said and ran a hand over the cat next to him as he continued to speak. "They created those magical objects at the start of the Kingdoms in order to prevent any Kingdom from becoming too powerful. They supply the Eternal Implements with their own magic and then the Triumvirates have the specific skill to apply that magic to the best of their abilities."

"Wait, no, stop." Alfred held up his hand, his brow furrowed. "I still don't- that didn't explain anything!" he cried out. "That just made me even more confused!"

"Then be more specific next time," Heracles said, stroking the cat's ears while it purred. "I can't be of any help if you don't ask the right questions."

Alfred glared, fuming. "Fine. Let's start from the beginning then. Who are the Aces? Where do they come from and how are they so powerful? I want to know everything; don't leave anything out!"

"Must we do this now?" Heracles asked, sounding bored. "I just woke up from a nap and I would really prefer if we could continue this later-"

"No!" Alfred snapped. "We're doing this right here, right now; no breaks, no naps and _no _interruptions. I need this information and you're going to be the one to give it to me."

He started at the other venomously, refusing to give in. Heracles glowered back but it was hard for Alfred to tell what the older man was thinking. Had he pushed the issue too far?

"Why," said Heracles slowly. "Does this matter to you so much? This is not a common topic, after all, so why do you need to know this information so badly?"

"I just need to know," Alfred said firmly. "It's important to me."

"Why?" Heracles repeated.

"I'm afraid that's between me, myself and I," Alfred said, mocking what the man had said before. "I can't give out private information such as that."

After a pregnant pause, Heracles said, "You have much courage, Heart. More than most people I know. I will answer your questions, but since I do not know how or why you are going to use this information you must promise me something in return."

Alfred's relief evaporated. "What promise?"

Heracles chuckled at Alfred's terrified expression. "It's nothing too serious, do not worry so much. It's nothing you should not be able to fulfill. Just swear to me that you will not use the information to harm Spades in any way, shape or form."

Alfred stared at him blankly while the thoughts whirled around furiously inside his head. Of course he would never think of purposefully harming Spades- not after he had become friends with so many people here- but it was another thing if he somehow used the information to _accidently _hurt Spades. But he wouldn't know until he knew what this information was. This was the least he could do.

"I swear," Alfred said, surrendering. "I swear that, to the best of my ability, I won't use the information to harm Spades."

Heracles regarded him closely before nodding. "It will have to do," he said, breathing out all of the air in his lungs. "I suppose I will start at the beginning, seeing that you want to know everything. Is that alright with you?"

"What's the beginning?" Alfred asked curiously.

"The start of the Kingdoms, obviously." Heracles hefted the cat into his arms and leaned back so he could rest against the tree trunk behind them. Alfred crossed his legs and sat sideways on the wall so he could watch the man speak. He waited somewhat impatiently for the other to speak, staring at him intently.

"What do you know of history?" Heracles asked him.

"Um," Alfred's brow furrowed.

"Not much, I see," Heracles said, his lips twitching slightly. "That's alright. Not many do these days, especially with the old legends becoming a less known subject." He sighed heavily with something close to regret, mixed with disappointment. He watched sadly as the cat leapt out of his lap and scampered away, off the wall and out of sight.

"Well, that's why you're here, right?" Alfred said in an attempt to get rid of the somber atmosphere that had suddenly appeared. "You're like a living textbook or something! And that's way cooler than an old scroll or something like that!"

Heracles smiled at him, though it was more out of bemusement than anything else. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Alfred beamed. "Well, it's supposed to be a compliment so it's all good! But, I really do want to know, what's the beginning? Kiku sometimes tried to talk to me about it and stuff but I never really paid attention."

"Kiku?" Heracles raised an eyebrow.

"My friend. The Queen of Hearts," he clarified.

"Ah, of course." He paused. "Does the Queen know much about the history of the Kingdoms?"

"I guess," Alfred said, shrugging. "Like I said, I never really paid attention. Though he probably does; he's really smart and stuff."

Heracles nodded to himself. "Interesting. I would like the chance to talk to him about it one day, if this war ever blows over."

Alfred blinked, taken aback. Never before had he heard a Spade- much less a member of the Royal Deck- speak about wanting to know more about Hearts. Either this guy really, _really_ loved history, or he was one of a kind.

"Anyways," Heracles began finally. "It seems to me that I will be giving the Jack of Hearts a crash course in history today."

"I guess," Alfred said again, this time sheepishly. He really should have listened to Kiku all of those other times. Maybe he wouldn't be there now, feeling like a fool.

"What do you know about the Empires that came before the Kingdoms?" Heracles asked, folding his hands in his lap.

"Er, next to nothing," Alfred admitted, turning pink. He had actually forgotten that there had been something other than the Kingdoms for a while; he never had the attention span to listen to lectures when he was a kid. That was even true now, but there wasn't an option by this point.

"Well, I'll explain it to you then using small words then," Heracles said and Alfred scowled at him.

"There were two Empires from which the four Kingdoms were created. The first was called the Northern Moons Empire, and the other was the Southern Stars*. Mostly they are referred to as the North and South for convenience. Together the two ruled the world in relative peace-"

"There weren't any wars or anything?" Alfred interrupted.

Heracles shrugged. "There were some minor fights, but overall the two Empires had an excellent relationship with each other."

"So, what happened then? I mean, the Kingdoms had to be created somehow."

"At the end of the Age of the Empires there were some…problems, I guess you can say."

"What kind of problems?"

"Oh, the usual; not enough food and resources to go around, treachery, no loyalty to the Empires, weak rulers…but mostly it was the revolts that sealed the Empires' fates."

"How wasn't there enough food and stuff?" Alfred tilted his head to the side. "They're the people who traveled the whole planet and created the first official map, right? If they really ruled the entire world like you said, there should've been enough stuff to go around."

"Like I said before, there were revolts against the Emperors and Empresses. They mostly succeeded in destroying and preventing the resources from spreading throughout the two Empires," Heracles explained, looking utterly bored.

"I'm confused. Why were there revolts if they were so peaceful with each other?" Alfred asked, leaning his elbow on his leg and cupping his chin in his hand.

"There was an affair of some sort," Heracles said with a wave of his hand.

"An affair?" Alfred was surprised. None of the Kings or Queens of the Suits were married to each other exactly, but regardless few of them married someone other than the person they were Bonded to. As a result, the idea of an affair between a King or Queen with another member of a separate Triumvirate was unheard of and seemed ridiculously unnatural.

"The United Bonds between leaders weren't created until the start of the Kingdoms," Heracles told him. "There was nothing tying their leaders together; they were married by arrangement not by Bond or love. And that betrayal of their leaders broke the last ties holding both Empires together; they were already on the fall by that point. Many people wanted to create new Empires and were fed up with the old ways of the present ones. The affair was the last straw." He stared off thoughtfully into the distance. "And the rest is history."

Alfred was quiet for a moment, absorbing the new information. "Which of the Emperors and Empresses had an affair?"

"The Empress of the Southern Stars and the King of the Northern Moons. It didn't really matter who it was at the point the whole thing was discovered; the damage had been done, and the effects were fatal."

"Well, that's cool and all, but what does that have to do with the Aces?" Alfred asked.

"Well, like the Aces here, the Empires had spiritual beings** that existed in their world. When the revolts got violent and turned into a full blown out war, the Empress of the Southern Stars was granted one last wish by her Empire's spiritual being."

"What did she wish for?"

"She wanted the new world born from the ashes to be better than the old one she destroyed. She wanted the new people to have a sense of loyalty and belonging to where they were born, unlike the new generations of her world that were at that very moment storming her palace. She wanted the new leaders to have each other to lean and rely on, unlike her husband whom she betrayed. She wanted the new leaders to have ways of knowing how to protect their people from enemies, inside or out."

"So…that's how the United Bonds were created? Because she made a wish that the new leaders wouldn't betray each other?" Alfred's head was spinning with all of this new information, but he was trying to understand everything as best as he could.

"Yes. She didn't want the new rulers to ever have reason to betray each other, as she did, so her spiritual being cast a spell that went into motion the moment the Kingdoms came into existence. Today it is known as the United Bond."

"Wow, that's some serious stuff," Alfred said, shaking his head and sitting back a bit. "Those spiritual beings must have had an insane amount of magic to create something that would affect people for generations."

"There were only two spiritual beings back then," Heracles said with a shrug. "Now, there are four. Spiritual beings draw from one power source which is split up between them and then through them the magic is distributed throughout the land. Since there are four of them today compared to the two from before, the power source is split up into smaller increments than during the time of the Empires. Their spiritual beings had more power as a result because there were only two."

"Oh." Alfred's brow furrowed.

"Do you understand?" Heracles asked. "I can stop if you want."

Alfred glowered at him. "You just want to take another nap."

Heracles smiled fully for the first time. "Can you blame me? It takes a lot to teach the whole history of our Kingdoms to a teenager."

Alfred puffed out his cheeks, feeling a little put out. "I'm not giving you that much trouble. I think. Wait, am I bothering you?" He leaned forward on all fours, jutting his face out in front of Heracles. "Seriously, am I really annoying you to the point where you might want to shoot me or something? Because if I am, or if I'm causing you too much trouble or something, I will leave. If you want me to."

To his credit, Heracles didn't flinch from the sudden lack of space between himself and Alfred. He blinked slowly before saying, "You're not bothering me. In fact, I find you rather interesting. I haven't been talking to many people lately, and you especially are not like most people."

Alfred leaned back with a frown. "Um…thank you? I think?"

"You are welcome," Heracles said, not seeming to notice Alfred's confusion. "Now that that's out of the way, where were we?"

"You were explaining the wishes to me," Alfred said helpfully.

"Ah, yes, now I remember." He opened his mouth, about to say more, but Alfred cut in.

"Wait a second, what were the Empires' spiritual beings called? I just want to know so I don't confuse them with the Aces."

"They were called Suns. Which, technically, is the same thing as a star, but different because a sun is much closer and more important to the existence of our world than a simple star light years away."

"Huh, Suns…" His voice trailed off. "Interesting. Okay, you can continue now."

Heracles rolled his eyes, but continued as if the interruption had never occurred. "Several other important objects came into being from the Empress's wishes. The Eternal Implements were created so that the new leaders would have ways of knowing when their people were in danger and how best to protect them. That's why the Spades Triumvirate has the ability to deal with time just as the other Triumvirate has other unique abilities; the Eternal Implements were created specially for the next rulers by the Southern Star's Sun."

"And all of this insane magic jumbo stuff was created by just one Sun? Wouldn't that like, I don't know, drain all of its energy or something like that?"

"Both of the Suns helped grant the Empress's wishes," Heracles said. "I apologize; I forgot to mention that before. And neither of them could have survived the end of the Empires because they, like our Aces, empower the regions they represent. As soon as the Empires dissolved so would they. As a result they used as much of their power as they could to give the Empress what she wanted and give the future generations the best possible world they could have."

Alfred said, "So, the Aces only exist because the Kingdoms do? Are they personifications of them or something?"

"That's exactly what they are."

"And what would happen if the Kingdoms were destroyed?" His mind went back to the Wild Card Prophecy and his gut twisted.

"The Aces wouldn't exist anymore, I suppose," Heracles said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure what would exactly happen to them- I don't know about you but I certainly have never seen a Spiritual being die- but I'm guessing they would slowly disappear."

Alfred wrinkled his nose. "You mean they would slowly rot away?"

Heracles shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know. Only the Triumvirates have any contact with the Aces and I'm sure their death is not a topic they like to dwell on."

"Yeah, I guess…." His voice trailed off, but then a thought occurred to him and he shot up, back straight. "But, wait, what does any of this have to do with Tattoos? I mean, that's why I'm here in the first place so why are you telling me all of this stuff?"

"Well, if you were listening," Heracles drawled. "You would know that the Empress's last wish was for the future generations to be loyal to the region where they were born, in this case, the Kingdoms. She wanted the new people to have a sense of belonging and devotion to the culture they grew up with. That way there would not be any revolts or uprisings against the leaders and the leaders would have no reason to betray them in return. Can you not think of any kind of magic that accomplishes all of this?"

Realization dawned on Alfred and he leaned back, shocked. "Of course. The Tattoos," he said, awestruck.

"Yes. The Tattoos were the perfect solution to her dilemma and they have succeeded at their purpose for many generations. There are always exceptions of course, but most people are happy and undoubtedly loyal to the Kingdom where they are born."

"But, there's still some stuff I don't understand," Alfred protested. "How do the Aces exist? Do they just, like, pop up out of nowhere or something? And how do they control Tattoos? Do they choose between themselves who belongs where?"

Heracles looked at him sideways, eyebrows raised. "You really don't know much about Spiritual beings, do you?"

Alfred flushed, embarrassed and angry. "Would I be here if I did?" he snapped, glaring.

"I suppose not," he sighed tiredly. "Spiritual beings don't just 'come into existence'. They don't 'pop up out of nowhere' as you so nicely put it. No living thing comes from nothing. You don't fall out of the air fully grown with all of the abilities humans are gifted with, do you?"

"No, I guess not," Alfred said grudgingly.

"Same with the Aces and the Suns; each of them were once the members of another species before becoming spiritual beings."

Alfred frowned. "Is that even possible, to switch species like that?"

"If I am telling you that it's true, then it's true," Heracles said dryly.

"Ah, right. Of course. Or else I wouldn't be here…" Alfred added lowly.

Heracles pretended to ignore him, saying, "Aren't you curious as to what they were before they became spiritual beings?"

"Well, I'm guessing humans since they kinda look like us and all," Alfred said without thinking.

For the first time since they met, Heracles looked startled. "What did you say?"

"Uh, er, I mean," Alfred stuttered, his mind racing. He wasn't supposed to know what the Aces looked like. Why the _hell_ did he just say that?! "The way you were hinting, made it seem like you were talking about humans." Yeah, like that sounded any more convincing than any of his other lies.

Heracles frowned and studied Alfred carefully, making the teenager squirm uncomfortably. An awkward moment paused, thick with tension, before Heracles spoke, "You're right, you know. They were humans before they evolved into Spiritual beings at the start of the Age of Suits; same goes for the Suns."

To say that Alfred was surprised that Heracles didn't call him on his lie was an understatement. But then again, who was he to question his good luck?

"Aren't you curious to know who the humans were that got changed into the Aces?" Heracles asked, smiling slightly at the look of confusion on Alfred's face. "Or would you like to guess the answer to that one too?"

"Ah, no. You can tell me," Alfred said, feeling somewhat wary. He wouldn't screw up again; he couldn't afford to, at this rate.

"The Aces we know today from our history are the Emperor and Empresses of the Southern Stars and the Northern Moons," Heracles revealed and smirked when Alfred's mouth fell open. "When a ruling body and their region falls apart- the Empires, in this case- they become the next spiritual beings for the future groups- the Kingdoms."

"So," Alfred said, trying to piece everything together. "Then the Suns were previous rulers too?"

"Naturally."

"And, the Triumvirates will become Spiritual beings eventually?"

"In the end, yes. But the Triumvirates today would only become Spiritual beings if the Kingdoms break down during their rule; otherwise they will die like normal humans."

"That's so weird," Alfred said and made a face. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to witness the end of your rule only to guide the leaders of the next regions."

Heracles said, "It can't be easy. But the Kingdoms are strong; it would take much for them to dissolve."

"Haha, right." Alfred felt his stomach sink to the ground. "But, uh, who is who?"

Heracles stared at him with confusion. "What?"

"I mean, which of the Empresses or Emperors or stuff are which of the Aces?"

"The Emperor of the Southern Stars became the Ace of Diamonds," Heracles said, counting down on his fingers. "The Empress of the Northern Moons became the Ace of Clubs. The Emperor of the Northern Moons- keep in mind that this is the same man who had an affair with the Southern Empress- became the Ace of Hearts. The Empress herself, the one started the whole mess, became the Ace of Spades."

Alfred jerked backwards and his eyes flew wide open. The Ace who had appeared before him, the one who had _kissed_ him, was the Empress of the Southern Stars. The same woman who had the affair, who had made all of those wishes, the one who had created the United Bonds, the Eternal Implements and who knows how much other stuff. It was the same woman, he thought to himself, who had wished for the invention of the Tattoos.

So, did that mean that she could explain to him why he didn't have one?

"I," he swallowed. He could hardly even think straight. "I can't even…the Aces used to be close with each other, even married in some cases, and now they're going to be forced to fight one another?"

"Oh," Heracles looked baffled. "I had forgotten about the war. But, yes, I suppose you're right. They will fight against each other for the sake of the Kingdom they represent."

"And they won't have any conflicts about that?" Alfred asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I doubt it."

"Why? I mean, they loved each other, right?"

"I don't think you fully understand just how long the Kingdoms have been around. By this point the Aces have been fully consumed by their role as personifications of the Kingdoms; they are loyal to their people. They cannot let their feelings affect the safety of the Kingdoms. That, above all, is what they must do."

"It sounds…sad," Alfred said, his expression turning troubled. The thought of him fighting someone close to him, like Kiku, Matthew or even Toris, was awful.

"It's a hard existence," Heracles said, staring off at the crowd over Alfred's shoulder. "But the Empress got what she wanted in the end, though; all of her wishes were successfully created and she even got to become part of the world she created."

Alfred coughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "There weren't any, uh, backfires with the plan?"

Heracles blinked and turned back to the teenager. "Again, what?"

"There weren't any surprises that came along with the wishes? There wasn't anything that she wasn't expecting?"

The confusion cleared from Heracles' face in an instant. "Ah, you're talking about the Wild Card. Curious, are you?"

Alfred flushed and the other smiled knowingly. "That's what I thought. Don't worry; you're not the only one who's been curious about the topic."

"Really?" Alfred frowned. "Who else has asked about it?"

"The Triumvirates are always persistent with the whole thing due to the Prophecy, of course." He gave the teenager a pointed look. "You _do_ know about the Prophecy, correct? Despite your claims of having a terrible attention span I would hope that you had the decency to pay attention long enough to learn about the Prophecy."

"I know about it," Alfred said with a scowl. He felt a little offended. Really, did Heracles think he was stupid or something?

"Good; that means at least the Triumvirates are learning the truth about the end of the world even if they choose to keep it from their people," he sighed, sounded rueful. "It's a pity that they took away almost all of the old legends out of the Library. I used those books as references and for further study, you know. Now I have to beg the Queen for a glimpse at the stash of them he keeps locked up in his room."

"How long ago were the old legends removed?" Alfred asked. "I mean, they had to be gone for at least a decade since I don't ever remember learning about any of them."

"Well, I don't know about Hearts but the old legends in Spades- or at least the ones concerning the Wild Card- were taken out some time ago. But up until a few years ago I could borrow them whenever I wished since I already knew of the Prophecy's existence. It was only when the present day Triumvirate came to power that the books were taken away for good."

"Huh. But when were they originally removed? Was it right after the Queen had her vision thingy?"

"I suppose. But you would need to have special permission to look at the books today. Either that, or you would need to own one of the Kings or Queens journals that was written during that time to find out more." He paused thoughtfully. "What I wouldn't give to look at one of those books."

Alfred felt his heartbeat speed up. He probably had the Kings journal from that time period in the King's Private Study. He could read the notes and thoughts of the King during the time when Elizabeth Tudor had her vision. Who knew what kind of answers he could find in there?

"If you had one of those books," Alfred said carefully, trying to phrase his question without giving too much information away. "Would it help you answer a lot of questions about the Wild Card? Like, would it have information in there that wasn't in the old legends?"

"Possibly, but then again I've never been able to look at any of the journals so I wouldn't be able to tell you. There might be some valuable information in there, though. After all, who knows what the Triumvirate is keeping secret?"

"Heh, yeah…" His voice trailed off. One thing was clear, at least; he had to find whichever King's journal was written during Elizabeth Tudor's rule. That would give him an inside look at what was going on in the King's mind. Maybe he could even sneak into Arthur's room somehow?

Heracles abruptly said, "The Wild Card was an unexpected result of the Empress' Tattoo wish."

Alfred blinked, his mind going blank. "What?"

"You wanted to know if there were any unexpected consequences of her wishes. The Wild Card wasn't part of her plan. It was an unforeseen twist that the Aces weren't aware of until the Kingdoms were in place."

"Do you know how the Wild Cards were created? I mean, wouldn't the Tattoo creation thing hit everyone? How was a person left out? Do you know why the Wild Card is so important?" Alfred's voice increased in volume and excitement; was Heracles the guy who Prussia was talking about? Was Heracles who the person who was going to explain his powers to him?

Heracles stared at Alfred, eyebrows raised. "You have a lot of questions for just one person."

Alfred laughed nervously. "What can I say? I'm a curious guy." He tried to put on his brightest smile, but it turned out more like a grimace.

Heracles let out an amused snort and shook his head. "You sure are a strange one, Heart."

Alfred shrugged. "That's what they tell me. But can you answer them? The questions, I mean?"

Heracles pursed his lips. "I can answer some of them, but not all unfortunately. In regards to your first question, there were women pregnant at the time the Kingdoms- along with the Tattoos- came into being. Any child that was 'created', I suppose you can say, before the time the Tattoos were put into place but born after it became a Wild Card; a Tattoo could not have been branded on an infant during the time they were in their mother's stomachs. Likewise, any child conceived after the time the Kingdoms were created could not be a Wild Card because their 'Tattooed' parents would have the ability to pass on their Tattoo mark by that time."

"So they had to be born within a specific time frame to be a Wild Card?"

Heracles nodded.

"But, then there was more than one Wild Card at the start of the Kingdoms?" Alfred asked, confused. "I thought that there was only one."

"As you should know, being a Jack, Wild Cards can choose their Kingdoms- that's one of the few traits known about the Wild Cards. As soon as this happens, the Tattoo of that Kingdom appears on the Wild Card and then can be passed onto their offspring. However, the Wild Card trait can also be passed on through the generations. The Aces decide who becomes a Wild Card is from there on. Throughout time the numbers of Wild Cards have decreased drastically so that's why there is only one today. The same one who is supposed to bring about the end of the world," he finished dryly.

"So, that means the Aces would not only know who the Wild Card is, but they also specifically _choose_ who that person is?" Alfred was incredulous.

"To the best of my knowledge, yes," Heracles said. "Are you saying you don't believe me?"

"No, I mean, I do, but-" Alfred stuttered. "It's just- hard to believe, you know?"

Heracles shrugged. "I've known about this for most of my life, so, no. I don't know."

Alfred made a face. "You're no fun."

"That's what they tell me," Heracles said and grinned at Alfred's sour expression.

"Alright, no more jokes," Alfred said seriously. This was important; this was why he began to talk to this dude in the first place. "Do you know why the Wild Card is so important? Like, I've heard that they have special powers and stuff? Do you know anything about that?"

"I am sorry to say I don't," Heracles said regretfully and Alfred deflated, his excitement fading.

"You don't know anything?" Alfred asked dejectedly.

"I've told you practically everything I know about Tattoos and the Wild Cards," Heracles said flatly. "That's quite a bit I know."

"Ah-! No, that's not what I meant," Alfred said quickly. "Gosh, I'm sorry if that came out wrong. I swear I didn't mean to insult you or anything, especially after you've had the patience to deal with all of my questions and stuff."

Heracles watched him with an unreadable expression. "This really means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"What? The Wild Card thing?" He tilted his head sideways and chewed the bottom of his lip, trying to figure out how much to tell the other. Finally, he decided to tell Heracles as close to the truth as he could get; he owed the Spade something after all he had done for him.

Alfred carefully said, "Yeah, it is. I've been trying to find more about the mystery surrounding the Wild Card for a while now, but everything just leads to more questions without any answers. But, you've helped me a lot, so, thank you. For everything."

He started to get up and Heracles said, sounding somewhat surprised, "Oh, are you leaving now?"

Alfred stopped and looked back, confused. "I guess. I mean, I don't have any other reason to be here since you answered almost all of my questions and you deserve your nap after all the trouble I've given you. Why? Do you want me to stay or something?"

"I thought I told you that you weren't bothering me," Heracles said with a sigh, shaking his head. "You didn't give me any trouble; in fact, I'm glad you stopped by. It was nice to have a conversation with someone for once, even if you are a bit odd."

Alfred gaped, taken aback. He didn't know what to say and that alone was said a lot.

"Can I give you a bit of advice before you go, though?" Heracles asked.

"Um, yeah, sure." He sat back down, somewhat cautious. "What is it?"

"You said you wanted to know what the Wild Card's powers are, correct?"

Alfred nodded hesitantly; he wasn't sure what Heracles was trying to get at. What else did the noble know that he hadn't already told him?

"If you really want to find out the answers, my best guess would be to look through the King's or Queen's journal during the time the Prophecy was predicted; that might give you some clues. If you can find them, that is." He gave the teenager a pointed look before continuing. "To the best of my knowledge, no one- not even the Triumvirates- know how the Wild Card will bring about the end of the world. Reading the journals just might be enough to help lead you to the answers."

Alfred made a choking noise, shocked. "Wait- what are you saying? Why are you telling me all of this?!" He didn't understand why Heracles was giving him the exact information he needed; more importantly, he didn't understand _how_ Heracles knew that he needed it!

Heracles blinked owlishly. "Can't I give some friendly advice?" he said innocently.

Alfred narrowed his eyes. "It depends on what you mean by 'friendly'."

"I mean exactly that," Heracles said defiantly. "I'm trying to help you and you just reject me." He shook his head, making a tsking noise. "If you really don't want my advice, I don't have to say anything-"

He started to turn away and Alfred yelped, lurching forward to grab the noble's arm.

"No, please- I mean," Alfred stuttered under the appraised look Heracles was giving him. "Please. I would love to hear your advice. I promise I won't argue again."

Heracles smiled. "Good. Now, where was I?"

"You told me to go look in the journals," Alfred said quickly, not wanting to scare Heracles away no matter how odd the whole situation was.

"Ah, yes, the journals. The only other source I can think of that might be helpful would be the Aces themselves."

Alfred blinked, taken aback. "How would I get in touch with the Aces?" he said stupidly.

"No clue," Heracles said with a shrug. He laughed out loud when he saw Alfred's annoyed expression.

"Are you just telling me that because you don't know or are you lying to me?" Alfred asked, scowling.

"Would you believe me if I said I was telling the truth?" Heracles looked back at him with a strange look in his eye and Alfred frowned. What was Heracles trying to say?

"I don't…know." he finally said, frustrated and confused.

"Exactly," Heracles said and turned away to stare at the crowd. "Listen carefully, Alfred. You can never know when a person is lying to you or not, no matter how good of a judgment you have. You need to trust your instincts and trust only what you believe is right, because in the end it's not the other person who determines what the truth is; it's only you."

"I…I don't understand." Alfred's brow was furrowed as he tried to piece together what Heracles was telling him. "Are you saying that everything you told me is wrong?"

"What do you think?" Heracles repeated slowly. "I could very well be telling the truth, but I could be lying at the same time. But in the end only you decide what is true."

Alfred stared at him, mind blank. What the hell was he supposed to do with that?! Had he just spent over an hour with a nutcase or a historian?

Heracles sighed loudly. "Not everything people tell you is going to be true. Not even about the Prophecy. The Prophecy could very well happen, _but_," he stressed and pointed a finger at Alfred's chest. "Only you have the option to prevent it from becoming a reality, from becoming the truth. You have it within yourself to change the future to make sure that that Prophecy is a lie. Do you get what I'm saying now?"

Suddenly, something clicked inside of Alfred's brain and he blinked, staring at Heracles' finger. He finally understood what the elder man was trying to explain to him. Heracles was saying that Alfred needed to take control of his life and put every effort he had into making sure that the end of the world would not happen. Up until now, he hadn't really focused on figuring out how to prevent the war from happening; in fact, he was doing the exact opposite.

When he thought about it, he realized he hadn't given the war much thought until last night when London had given him the vision of Spades burning. He had preferred to pretend like nothing was wrong and that he was just in Spades for a temporary vacation until Kiku came to pick him back up. But that wasn't going to happen.

Instead there was going to be war along with immeasurable death and suffering. This situation of his had the whole world entangled in a deadly game, whether or not anyone knew it. And even if he didn't like thinking about it, Heracles was right; he was the Wild Card. He was the only person who could prevent all of this from happening even if he didn't know exactly how yet. He, the orphan Alfred Jones from a tiny town in Hearts, was as much the world's end as he was its only salvation.

He couldn't rely on anybody else to watch over him or tell him what to do anymore. He couldn't wait for Kiku to come and rescue him because that wasn't going to happen without Kiku and the Hearts Army- and/or Clubs Army, he really wasn't sure anymore- destroying half of the world. He needed to take the situation into his own hands and decide just whose side he was really on.

He sucked in a sharp breath and let it out shakily. He knew what he had to do now, and it was all thanks to a sleepy noble of Spades.

He looked up at Heracles and Heracles stared back. Alfred could read the emotion in the other's eyes now; it was mix of sympathy and understanding, but awe and belief was evident there too, even more so than the previous two. Alfred had a hard time figuring out now why he hadn't seen it before.

"You know who I am, don't you?" he asked.

Heracles split into a grin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Alfred snorted. "I don't believe you," he said, trying not to smile.

"Good, that means you've learned something at least one thing from me this entire time," Heracles huffed.

"How long have you known?"

"How long have you been talking to me?" Heracles countered.

"That's not an answer," he pointed out.

"Correct; it was a question." Heracles said and slid off of the wall onto the ground. Alfred moved his position slightly, watching him though he stayed where he was.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Heracles said, and turned back to face the teenager. "Somewhere I can sleep peacefully with my cats without any teenagers bothering me, I suppose."

Alfred tilted his head to the side. "You're not going to tell anyone about me?"

"Tell anyone what?" Heracles asked innocently. "I'm just a retired historian; I don't know anything."

Alfred laughed and shook his head. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Heracles hummed in agreement, smiling lazily.

"But, uh, thanks. Again, I mean. You helped me a lot," Alfred said honestly.

"Pleasure to be of service," Heracles said with a small bow that surprised Alfred. "It was an honor to meet you, Alfred Jones."

"Likewise," Alfred said, feeling his face warm slightly.

Heracles nodded and started to turn away, but Alfred called after him again, "If I need you again, can I send Toris to find you?"

Heracles looked over his shoulder. "Of course, but I highly doubt you will. Toris is a good and loyal man; you should take advice from him more often. He will not lead you astray."

"I will," Alfred promised. "And one more last thing?"

"Yes?"

"How do you know all of this stuff? Like, are you a magician or really smart or something? Or are you just normally like this?"

Heracles laughed. "When you have a curiosity as strong as I do, it is impossible not to go searching for answers. But I must warn you, you might not like all of the answers you find," he added on seriously.

"I know," Alfred said glumly, thinking back to the Prophecy book he had asked Arthur to read out loud to him.

"Be careful, child," Heracles said solemnly. "And I hope you find what you are searching for."

"Thanks," Alfred said and watched the noble stride off into the crowded plaza. He sighed heavily and fell backwards onto the tree's roots, letting his arms flop on either side.

I might not like all of the answers I find, Alfred thought to himself, but they are ones I need to know regardless. It's the only way I can stop this war, this- this madness! And maybe, if I'm extremely lucky, I can bring an end to all of this and still escape with my life.

But at that moment he felt anything but confident. Instead, at that very instant, staring up at the tree's thick branches as the leaves swayed back and forth, he felt very, very small. He was completely and utterly alone.

Alfred sucked in a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying not to think. For the first time in his life, he wished he could be anyone else. Any person, other than himself.

But, he wasn't anyone else. He was Alfred Jones, the Wild Card and future destroyer and/or salvation of the entire world. There wasn't anyone else _but_ him that had the ability save the world; not Toris, not Heracles, not Kiku and most definitely not Arthur no matter what the hell he thought. There was only Alfred and screw anyone who thought differently. He could do this; the Aces wouldn't have made him the Wild Card if he couldn't handle it. And who knew better than the very Empress who had helped create the world as the Suits knew it?

Alfred's eyes snapped open and abruptly he sat up. He jumped off the wall as quickly- clumsily- as he could and looked around once before running headfirst into the plaza crowd.

He had a job to do.

-o0o-

"As time goes on, you'll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn't, doesn't. Time solves most things. And what time can't solve, you have to solve yourself."

Haruki Murakami  
>-o0o-<p>

**Background Information:**

***I was going to make the Empires Rome and Germania, but then I realized that it was impossible because both Italy and Germany (their descendents) belong to the same Kingdom. And since each Kingdom can have only one Ace, it would have been unfair for only Rome or only Germania to be the Ace of Hearts.**

****Spiritual beings are creatures that are not human and have an unusually large amount magic in their blood. Because they have so much magic, it sort of radiates off of them and gets distributed throughout the land (that's how the humans can use magic). Though the term is mainly used to describe more powerful creatures such as the Aces or Suns, other less powerful examples include fairies, unicorns, etc. **


	17. Chapter 14 part 3, King's Private Study

**12/20/2012 **

**IT'S DONE. Finally, finally, it's done. I wanted to have this out for the one year anniversary of this story but sadly that didn't happen. I am so excited for this chapter though; not only is this the last part of chapter 14 (I thought it would never end) but also because Alfred's powers are revealed in this part. The suspense is over!**

**As for updates: I'm sure that those who have been following this story for a long time have noticed how much time it has taken me to write new chapters. I just want to say that I am sorry but my life has gotten so hectic of late that it takes me at least a month to write a long chapter, sometimes longer. So I'm going to say that unfortunately my updates for this story will come only once within a one to two month time period. Again, I am sorry about this, but at least I'm still updating at all! Thank you again to everyone who has stayed with me throughout this story; you guys are all wonderful!**

**One last thing then onward with the story. I want to write something special since I've been on this website for a whole year now (this story is also officially one year old), and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas? I would really love suggestions!**

**I do not own Hetalia, George Washington, or Elizabeth Tudor (…you'll know what I mean once you start reading). Beta'd by waterbringer, as always.**

-o0o-

Excerpt from the King of Spades journal, George Washington:

_I am deeply worried. The Kingdom has been in more trouble of late, with the drought in the eastern parts of our lands spreading by the day and the tensions between our people and the Clubs rising to an all-time high. There are more problems, of course, piling up quickly and suddenly as if the last few decades of peace never happened. I am never sure what to tackle, and more often than not I end up sitting at my desk with my face in my hands as I stare at a list of everything I have to fix*._

_Even more than the drought and Clubs, I worry for my Queen, Elizabeth. She sleeps less and less every night and she only picks at her meals. She spends most of her day in her Private Study staring at London as if it will tell her all of the answers to our problems._

_For months I've been trying to get some answers from her, but she refuses to tell me anything._

"_The time is not right," she told me a few weeks ago. "I promise I will tell you everything soon, but not yet."_

_All I have been able to do until now is to try to provide moral support, and force her to eat and sleep every so often. Only just a few nights ago in the privacy of our Suite did she finally sit down and explain to me what has been going on._

_She had been having visions, though these were different from the ones we usually witness. These, she told me, are more intense than any she has ever experienced._

"_How is that possible?" I asked her. "Explain it to me."_

"_I- it's hard to put into words." She shook her head. "I am not sure how to describe them."_

"_Try. Please, for me; so that I can help you."_

_She took a deep breath. "It's how I imagine it would feel when one is drugged or has a very high fever. In the visions the colors are so intense that it's hard to even look at anything for longer than a few seconds, and when I try to move it feels like I am treading through marshland. It's difficult to breathe and the scenery goes in and out of focus without any pattern to it-"_

"_Where are you? In your visions, you must recognize something or-"_

"_I do not," she said. "But, I do not think you understand what exactly is going on. I do not receive these visions from London."_

_I did not understand. Where else could she have received the visions if not from London?_

"_I- I just see them. All of the time; when I am in bed, when we are eating meals, at my Study while I am trying to work- just everywhere, all of the time." She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook. "There is no stopping them and I- I cannot-"_

_I moved forward and embraced her then, pressing my cheek into her fiery curls and rubbing her back in comforting circles._

"_It's like nothing I've ever experienced before," she told me once she had composed herself. "It feels like endless suffocation and I never see the same image for more than a few seconds before it rearranges itself. And in those seconds- I- I've seen terrible things. Things I cannot erase from my mind."_

_She then proceeded to explain one of the most recent visions; one she had seen just the night before._

"_I am standing in the middle of a war torn patch of land," she said. She did not look at me the entire time she spoke. She stared off into the distance, seeing things I could never picture, hearing what I could never imagine. _

"_It was the aftermath of some kind of battle…there were buildings and homes in ruin everywhere I turned, there were trees alight with fire, I couldn't breathe because of all of the smoke." Her voice cracked slightly. "There were- dead bodies and blood, enough to cover the entire ground twice over-"_

_She squeezed her eyes shut. I remember thinking that I had never seen her so pale._

"_Do you know when this will happen? Or where?"_

"_There was-" She cleared her throat and blinked rapidly. "There was a Spade clock on the ground. Its face was cracked in the center and it was covered in soot. I could barely make out the sapphire Spades on its hands. But it wasn't just any clock, George. It was London."_

_It took a while to coax all of the details out of her, but she eventually told me everything. She explained to me that between the flashes of visions she was able make out every single one of the Eternal Implements from the different Suits, destroyed and broken. She didn't know where or who their owners were. _

_The scenery of the battlefield changed with every vision, but each place was completely in ruin. She said she was able to recognize these battle scenes in each of the Suits; Clubs could easily be identified with its everlasting snow covering its destroyed Castle (it refused to melt, even by the fire), Diamonds had its bejeweled plants uprooted and metal trees liquefied, Hearts military structures were blown to smithereens, and in Spades ripped out pages from books floated through the air, the words half burned or torn._

"_There's one more thing," she said. "I keep seeing this- this boy-"_

"_A boy?" I repeated, surprised._

"_No, not a child- I meant a teenager, not yet a man but no longer a boy. I always see him off in the distance walking through the battlegrounds, occasionally stopping to stare at the sky…" Her voice drifted off._

"_What does this teenager look like?" I asked. "Do you recognize him?"_

_She shook her head. "I know that I have never seen him before now, but he is always too far away for me to make out any details. He is always wearing white though; just like what everyone wears at the Gatherings."_

"_What do you think it means?"_

"_I don't know. But whenever I see him, I have this terrible sense of foreboding. I feel as if…"_

"_What?"_

_She hesitated before saying, "I almost feel as if he- this teenager- is the cause of all of those future battles. I cannot explain why or how- but I can sense it."_

_I did not understand how a lone teenager could cause the destruction she spoke of, but how could I argue differently when I had not seen the visions?_

"_Elizabeth, I would not jump to conclusions," I advised her cautiously. "You know next to nothing of the situation of the battles; this teenager could just be a survivor. There is no fault that you can link to him and therefore he is innocent."_

"_There's more," she insisted. "Today in my Private Study- before you came in to speak to me about Clubs- I was studying London and trying to figure out why I was having these visions when something strange happened."_

"_What was it?"_

"_I felt a presence behind me, so I turned around even though I knew it was impossible for anyone to enter without my permission- aside from you, of course."_

"_And what did you see?" I asked even though I had an idea of what she was going to say._

"_It was the teenager from my visions; he was standing right there in front of me! I had no idea how he entered the room but there was something odd about how he looked. The edges of his body were blurry and faded as if he was nothing more than an illusion."**_

"_Were you able to get a closer look at him?" I asked._

"_Yes. He has choppy blond hair the exact shade of gold and wide, sapphire blue eyes." As she spoke she grabbed a sheet of paper off the desk and started to draw a rough sketch of the teenager she had seen. "He is somewhat tall- almost your height- but when I looked at him, he seemed surprised. It was almost as if he wasn't aware that I could see him."_

"_Well, weren't you surprised that you could see him?"_

"_I-" She frowned. "I see what you are trying to say. You think that he was another vision?"_

"_What else could he have been? I did not see him when I entered."_

"_He was gone the second we broke eye contact," she said. "I worry about what all of this means for Spades. I do not think that it could be anything but bad."_

"_Have you tried speaking to the Ace yet?"_

"_She refuses to tell me anything," Elizabeth said angrily, eyes flashing. "Whenever I try to talk to her she refuses to show. I don't understand why she is avoiding me."_

_The next night we traveled to No-Man's-Land and waited for the fairies to appear. Once they had all gathered, the Ace of Spades emerged from the shadows and we asked her who the teenager was and what he had to do with the future battle scenes._

_What she told us was both horrifying and wondrous at the same time._

_The teenager was a Wild Card; one of the few humans able to choose their own Suit, though little else is known about their powers due to the rarity of their existence. The Ace told us that this specific Wild Card that Elizabeth has seen will be the most powerful of his kind to have ever been born. He will be the only Wild Card to fully recognize and use their unique power- though the Ace refused to tell us what this unique power was or how the Wild Card would use it. He will be the last Wild Card of our world and apparently his decisions will shape the future of our world- or so the Ace told us._

_Elizabeth was worried. She told the Ace of her vision and asked if the Wild Card would bring about a future that might cause more harm than good. The Ace refused to respond to her question, instead pursing her lips and giving us an unreadable expression before finally saying,_

"_He will have the opportunity and ability to bring about an end to the Kingdoms, of that much is certain. If and how he does so, on the other hand, is not. There will come a time when all will have abandoned him and he will have no hope left; that is when the Wild Card will make his decision and determine the fate of the world."_

_The Ace's unnaturally bright silver eyes turned to Elizabeth, who had gone pale as snow, and her expression turned stony._

"_This will be my only warning to you: there is nothing anyone can do to stop this from happening, so it would be wise, dear Queen, to accept this fact and move on with your rule. No matter how much your visions bother you, you must keep in mind that you cannot prevent the Wild Card from determining the fate of the world. If you meddle with the future, you will only make matters worse. If you want your Kingdom to survive, do not interfere."_

_If you knew Elizabeth as I have, you would know that she would never let an issue as vital as this one go without doing her best to stop it. She refused to do nothing while the sake of our Kingdom was in the balance. She immediately called for a meeting of all the Triumvirates in despite the Ace's warning and explained what she had seen._

_Now the Triumvirates of all of the Suits think that this Wild Card teenager will bring about the end of the world, though no one except me and Elizabeth know what he looks like. _

_I worry about this. Because of Elizabeth's actions, the world will try to eliminate any trace of a Wild Card. The future generations will not hesitate to destroy this teenager when he appears before them. How can you not want to destroy the world when it is howling for your very demise?_

_I have been writing this ever since after dinner last night, and as I look out the window I can see that it is nearly dawn. I am exhausted but I must finish this. I must say one last thing. I must._

_I cannot believe that this Wild Card is as evil or terrible as Elizabeth sees him to be, especially since he will grow up not knowing who or what he is. I believe this because I have seen him. He was in a vision I experienced just moments before I sat down to take note of all of this._

_He is just as Elizabeth describes: gold hair, sapphire eyes and well built but still with those boyish features that make him a teenager. He was sitting outside in the meadow outside the King's Private Study around twilight. He was leaning against a large tree- possibly the same one that was planted the year Elizabeth and I were crowned- and reading from a stack of notebooks. _

_He didn't notice me as I came closer, but I instantly recognized him as the Wild Card. It was just as Elizabeth said; I could sense that it was him. I could feel a strange kind of power radiating off of him in waves, swirling around him almost as if it was waiting to be set free._

_I wasn't sure what it would mean when he let that power free, but as I continued to watch him as he read, I noticed that there was another layer to that power of his; a kind of innocence and brightness shining underneath that left a warmth in my heart. The closest feeling I can compare it to is the sense of awe and wonder you experience when you watch the sky just before the sun begins to rise over the horizon. _

_I know this teenager will be something incredible, something as awe-inspiring as he will be deadly. He could very well bring about the end of the world as the Ace said, but I believe that he deserves to be given the chance to blossom and grow. Only after that we should make the choice to restrain him, if that is at all necessary. Otherwise he will have no choice but to hate us for what we intend to make of him._

_Just before the vision ended, I realized that what the Wild Card was actually reading was my journals. The one in his hands was in fact the very one I am writing in right now. _

_If you are the Wild Card, if you are that teenager with that incredible power, I have one thing to say to you:_

_Please do not be in a rush to destroy this world. There is more good than evil, more love than hate if you only take the chance to discover it. Please know that not everyone will judge you because of your fate, but rather for your actions and your heart. Try to live, really live, before you take away that opportunity from others._

_I wish you the best of luck. No matter what happens, please consider my words and the words of those who care about you. I hope that when the time comes for you to choose, that whatever decision it may be…I hope for the sake of the world and all of those who dwell here that it will be the right one._

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- meadow outside of the King's Private Study_

Alfred stared at the last word on the page, unable to accept that this was the end of Washington's notes. He flipped the page to the back to see if he had missed anything, but was only met with empty white. He gazed at the blank page for so long that the white began to swim dizzily in front of his eyes, making him feel lightheaded. After a minute he squeezed his eyes shut, blinking the image away before opening his eyes again.

A sudden breeze picked up and Alfred turned away from the journal to look at the meadow around him. The sun had gone down by now, but the moon had risen in the cloudless sky, shedding just enough light for Alfred to see the meadow in clear detail. Once again he was struck by the beauty of the meadow at night, just as the first night he had chanced upon the King's Private Study.

He was sitting in the exact position that Washington had just described: leaning against the tree where he had previously sat with Matthew, a pile of journals at his side. It was kind of creepy to think that Washington had seen a vision of him like this who knows how many years ago in the past. But the message Washington had left behind specifically for him was even creepier.

It had been almost three days since he had met with Heracles. Since then his new guards had taken up the role of babysitting him every minute of every hour, that is until Alfred had complained to Arthur that he didn't need someone to watch over him while he slept. Arthur had relented, thankfully, so now Alfred was stuck with sneaking around the Castle at night in a vain attempt to figure out more about the Wild Card before word of the Alliance got to Spades.

With the pocket watch hanging around his neck for light, he had managed to search all of the King's Study in the past two nights. It was only in the first few hours of this night that he had found the journals which Heracles had mentioned, and he had been sitting outside in the meadow reading every since.

Alfred let his head rest against the tree trunk and let out a long sigh. Now he knew nearly everything about the Wild Cards and the Prophecy. Well, everything except his powers. But as he stared up at the stars he had a strange feeling that he was going to discover what those were sooner rather than later, maybe even tonight.

He wasn't really sure what to think about everything. He already knew the Prophecy that he was going to destroy the world, and he also knew that he could be the one person to save everything too. The realization that Elizabeth had seen him during those visions when he had first met the Ace of Spades wasn't too shocking. The fact that she had told the other Triumvirates about the Prophecy wasn't that bad either- he saw Arthur's will to protect Spades mirrored in her. He knew that Spades rulers were fiercely protective of the safety of their people.

He was, however, pleasantly amazed to learn that Washington- the very person who the pocket watch had previously belonged to- did not automatically mistrust him. He believed that Alfred would save the world rather than destroy it. And it was kind of nice to know that not everyone was out to get his blood.

Still, that didn't solve anything, did it? Alfred was still trapped in Spades with the Alliance slowly coming closer, and he still had no idea what his powers were. The journals had helped a little bit, but not enough.

In other words, he was at a dead end. And unless he could figure something out soon, he was a dead man.

Alfred gazed at the meadow, his thoughts slowly running out of steam. The meadow was beautiful at night. The edges of the flowers seemed to glow like they were surrounded by fog and the blades of grass swayed in the light breeze. Even the trees looked like glass, reflecting the beams of moonlight at every angle. The whole meadow had transformed into some kind of dream sequence.

After a while Alfred's thoughts reached an end, leaving him with a single idea. There was only one option left to him at this point but the problem was that he didn't even know if this option would even work. But by now anything was worth a shot. The news of the Clubs-Hearts Alliance would probably reach the Castle by tomorrow night at the latest so he had effectively run out of time.

He slowly stood up, using the tree for support, and made his way to the center of the meadow. He didn't bother looking back at the stack of journals he had left behind. Right now the only thing he needed was the pocket watch that swung back and forth from around his neck.

When he reached the center of the meadow he carefully lifted the watch over his head and held it in his hands. It gave off a comforting blue glow; one Alfred had grown accustomed to. He knew that after being with the pocket watch for so long that he would feel off-balance if anyone dared to take it from him.

He ran a thumb over the watch's face and it felt warm to the touch. He looked up to the sky which had turned a deep indigo, and closed his eyes. If he was going to do this, he had to do it now.

He remembered clearly what Arthur had told him about magic. If he wanted to use his Natural Magic he needed to focus and imagine every detail of what would happen. He had to want her to appear in front of him more than anything else in the world. And Ace knows he had wanted these answers for the longest time.

Alfred took a deep breath and put all of his energy into concentrating on what the Ace of Spades looked like, how cold her lips had felt when they brushed against his, the overwhelming sensation of power that radiated off of her in waves, her silver, cat-like eyes and the way her skin glowed the exact shade as his pocket watch.

The breeze suddenly picked up, turning into a full-blown gust of wind that tore at his clothes and pulled at his hair. Alfred let out a startled yelp that disappeared in the roaring wind. He raised his arms in an attempt to protect his face, wincing as stray petals and blades of grass pelted his skin. He was caught in some kind of tornado and he had no idea why or how.

He squinted out at his surroundings. Was this some kind of a reaction to his attempt to use Natural Magic? If so, shouldn't he be able to stop it?

"Stop," Alfred tried to say but his words were swallowed by the wind. He shut his eyes and gathered up all of his energy.

"I said, _STOP_!" he screamed, and his voice seemed to echo. A white pulse of power rippled through the air.

Suddenly, everything froze. There was no noise, not even the rustling of leaves.

Alfred kept his eyes closed and refused to lower his arm. Despite his determination to find answers, he was afraid of what was waiting for him in the field, if his Natural Magic had worked at all. He was scared of the Ace of Spades, who looked too alien and dangerous to be of any real help; he was scared of his powers and what they could do; he was scared of what was going to happen when Spades learned what he was.

He was scared, so scared that he felt powerless against it. The only thought that kept him moving was the idea that he could put an end to this mess. But even then he didn't know how or if he could even do that-

Something small and cool pressed against his cheek, and Alfred's eyes snapped open in surprise.

He found himself staring at the worried face of a blue-skinned fairy. The same fairy that led him in front of the carriage the first day he had met Arthur, if he remembered correctly. Arthur had said her name was Eleana, before he had scared her away. She smiled timidly at him, as if she knew what he was thinking and removed her hand from his cheek.

He blinked, taken aback. "What are you doing here?" he asked, even though he knew he couldn't understand her. As much as he liked Eleana, he hadn't been asking for a fairy a few moments ago when he had tried used his Natural Magic.

"She's with me," said a calm voice and Alfred stilled.

He slowly turned around and Eleana flew close to him, her wings making a strange buzzing noise as she passed his ear.

And there she was, the Ace of Spades. She stood- hovered, was actually a more correct description- a little ways off, radiating that eerie bright blue hue as she watched him. She looked the same as she had the first time he had seen her; the only difference now was her surroundings and the millions of fairies that flew around her and in the air between them. If anything it made her look even creepier than she had before.

Alfred stood up straighter, eyes hard. "So you came, did you?" he said loudly.

Her previously impassionate expression turned amused. "You called for me, so I came."

He scowled. "Is that always how it works? You didn't come when Elizabeth Tudor called for you."

"Elizabeth Tudor wanted answers I could not give her," the Ace said. "Not without her King. And even with her King, I was hesitant."

"Yeah, I noticed," Alfred said sarcastically and the sound of Eleana's wings buzzed faster, as if in warning. He ignored her. "Yet you answered to me," he continued.

"Yes." She leaned forward and suddenly she was moving forward, as if being pushed by non-existent wind. Alfred tensed as she neared and clutched the pocket watch to his chest.

She noticed his movement and laughed lightly. Alfred glared venomously at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked, too irritated to be scared.

"Oh, I think it's just amusing," she said and she locked gazes with him. "You hold the King's Eternal Implement as if it will protect you, yet you forget that _I_ am the very essence of the Spades Kingdom."

She held out her hand and the pocket watch shot out of Alfred's grip without warning. He cried out, a thrill of fear shooting through him, and lunged for its chain.

He missed, of course, and the Eternal Implement flew into the Ace's outstretched palm. She smiled at him before looking down to examine her prize, and a shiver ran up his back at the sight of her teeth- they were sharpened to a point, like teeth of carnivores.

"I am glad to see that you have not damaged it thus far," she commented absentmindedly as she turned the watch over in her hands.

"Nice of you to notice," he snarled, taking a step forward. "Now give it back to me!"

"But it doesn't even belong to you!" she chided and he froze at her words. "You just happened to find it somewhere in No-Man's-Land!"

He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He had no comeback. She had literally just stripped him bare with the harsh truth of her words. Tears of frustration and anger turned his eyes glossy before he forced them back down.

"Either way," he managed to say. "I want it back. That thing found _me_, not the other way around. I wasn't looking for the King of Spades Eternal Implement when I wandered into No-Man's-Land that day. I didn't know why it was stuck at the bottom of that pond- I still don't, actually- but if it wasn't there waiting for me to discover it, then what else was it there for?"

She looked at him closely, as if judging him. He resisted the urge to squirm under her intense gaze.

"Very well."

She turned to look at the fairies and held out the pocket watch. A group of six or so fairies gathered together and struggled to lift it into the air. They flew over to him and dropped it into his hands. He caught it and squeezed it in his hands, letting out a sigh of relief as his anxiety lightened. He felt vulnerable without it, he realized, especially with the Ace around.

"You are an odd one, Alfred Jones," the Ace commented, sounding absentminded. Alfred looked up sharply and his scowl fell back into place.

"I could say the same," he retorted. "You're not exactly normal, lady."

"No. I'm not. But that doesn't matter anymore. I've been an Ace too long now to care whether I'm human or not."

Alfred was suddenly hesitant. "How long have you been an Ace?"

"I don't recall," she said, her voice was hard. "At least a few thousand centuries, by now."

Alfred was taken aback. "A _few_ thousand centuries?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes, I do believe that is correct."

"That's…" He shook his head. "That's unbelievable. That's a _really long_ time."

"It is," she agreed sadly. "Too long of a time for any being, if you want my opinion. It's interesting; many humans dream of immortality, but they do not take into account the sacrifice that comes along with it."

"Like what?" he asked timidly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. But it was better to keep her talking than to have her disappear.

"All of the fighting, the suffering, the pain…" She shook her head. "Immortality is not worth the price of experiencing millions of lives of torture. I feel every single Spades' sadness, anger, hurt…I feel everything. And then of course there is the land-"

"The land?"

"The land!" she confirmed loudly, silver eyes blazing. "The land, with its drought, the mudslides, the earthquakes and tsunamis and freezing mountains, blazing hot deserts, humid forests; it's like having a terminal illness!"

"It sounds awful," Alfred admitted.

"Of course it's awful; it's torturous. It's pain beyond pain. It's nothing compared to the ache I had when I was human." She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and trying to calm herself. Alfred fidgeted. He felt bad but didn't know if there was anything he could say to make the Spiritual being feel any better. He didn't know what she felt like now and he never would. What could he say?

"I never thought there would be an end," she said and Alfred was jerked out of his thoughts. "But then…"

He eyed her warily. He had an idea of where this was going. "But then what?"

"But then all four of us became aware of a new presence looming on the horizon," she said and a small smile formed.

He felt his stomach drop to the floor. "Four of us?" he asked shakily.

"The Aces, of course. We, ah, _sense_ certain things looming in the future, like wars or important events-"

"And important people too, I guess," Alfred said dryly.

Her face practically split in half from the width of her saber-tooth smile. "Naturally."

"And you saw me," he guessed.

"Sensed you," she corrected. "But, yes, you are right. You had such a large presence that it was impossible to ignore."

"I don't get what you're saying," he said flatly, clenching the pocket watch in his right hand.

"Imagine having a constant migraine," the Ace suggested. "One so large that it causes nothing but blinding pain to the point where it is impossible to think, sleep or eat."

Alfred grimaced. "Ouch. Sorry I was such a…pain," he said, for lack of better word.

"It's fine," she said but Alfred could tell it really wasn't. "Once the four of us gathered and confronted the presence the pain went away. Instead we were left with a strange vision of a boy with incredible power-"

"You know my power!" Alfred interrupted loudly and pointed a finger at the Ace. "I knew it! Do you know how long I've been searching for you?"

The Ace's expression was enough for Alfred's next words to die in his throat.

"Do you know how long _I've_ been waiting for _you_?" she hissed and he leaned away from her anger, which he could feel radiating off from her. "How long we _all_ have waited?! Centuries of waiting for relief from pain, only to realize we needed to wait even longer for you to be born? And even now you might not be the answer to our problem!"

"Wait, what?" he asked despite himself. "What problem?!"

"The Kingdoms!" she cried and threw her hands up in the air. The fairies scattered across the clearing and Eleana flew behind his head in fear. Alfred could feel her tiny hands holding onto his hair.

"The Kingdoms are our problem," she continued and her eyes began to glow. The air rippled between them, sending shocks of raw power- colored bright blue- off of her in waves. Alfred winced, half expecting the earth to split in half.

"The Kingdoms have been in existence for far too long; our pain has been going on for far too long! It's time for an end, for a new era to begin and a new group of Spiritual beings to take our place. And you, _you_ can help us."

Her gaze locked on him. Alfred started to shake uncontrollably from the intensity of her gaze and all of the energy that was raking through him.

"Me?" he said, as steadily as he could. "Why me?"

"I think you know," she said. "You are quite smart, after all. You know of the Prophecy by now, you can make the connection. _You_ are the only one who can destroy the Kingdoms and put an end to our suffering. Only you, Alfred Jones. You are our savior."

The power had died with the Ace's anger, and the air was still again. Alfred no longer trembled, but his face was white and his knees felt weak. This was it? After everything that had happened, this was why the Ace's were so interested in him?

"So, you don't want to be a Spiritual Being anymore?" he said cautiously, trying not to make her angrier. "You want me to destroy the Kingdoms so that you and the rest of the Aces can, er, die?"

"Yes," she said solemnly. "We have lived and suffered for too long. It is time for a new group of Spiritual Beings to take our place."

"But-" He struggled to form words to explain. "But if I destroy the Kingdoms, wouldn't the Triumvirates become the new Spiritual Beings?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Naturally. That is the way of our world."

He stared openly at her. He could think of a million things to say to her- a million accusations created from furious words and empty threats- but he knew that he would only succeed in making the Ace angrier if he acted on his emotions. Right now was not the time and place to go off on a rant on how no one deserved the kind of suffering the Aces went through, especially not people like his best friends.

But, he kept his mouth shut and thought carefully on how to respond. He had to be smart about this if he was going to get what he wanted.

"Well none of that matters if I don't know what my power is," he said calmly, deliberately. "Hate to break it to you, but I can't destroy the Kingdoms if I can't use my powers."

She narrowed her eyes. "You want to know what your power is."

"I did just say that," he said, a little annoyed. "So are you going to tell me or not? 'Cause if not I'll just leave now and find someone else who can."

"You fool, there is no one else!" she hissed. "Only the Aces know what the Wild Card can do!"

"Oh yeah? What about the Jokers? They have the Plan, right? Can't I just look at that until I find it?" he dared to say. He had figured out what the Plan was while going through the King's journals. No wonder Prussia knew so much about him!

"You wouldn't dare leave Spades with a war looming!" the Ace snarled. "You don't even know if you could find the Plan and take it from the Jokers, much less use it!"

"Try me."

They stared at each other, a mere few feet apart. The Ace was seething, sending off waves of energy again that flattened the grass and made the trees sway. But this time Alfred was prepared. He stood his ground and stared back, silently challenging her. She _needed_ him. She wasn't going to get what she wanted without him around, so she wouldn't dare kill him. That, at least, was some kind of comfort.

"What," she said finally. "Do you want to know, exactly?"

"Everything," he answered. Relief shot through him but he kept the emotion off of his face.

"And what do I receive in return?" she said.

Alfred blinked. "What?"

She smiled, and again he was jarred at the sight of her carnivorous teeth. "Nothing is free, Alfred Jones, especially not knowledge. What will you give me in return for my services?"

Alfred grit his teeth as she smirked at him. Of course she wanted something, because his plans just never went according to plan, did they? He knew what she wanted but he couldn't give it to her. He wouldn't put his friends' lives in danger!

"I won't promise to destroy the Kingdoms," he told her. "I just can't do something like that."

"I wasn't expecting you to," she said, surprising him.

"Then what is it you want?" he asked bluntly.

She tilted her head to the side. "I want to be your teacher."

Alfred made a choking noise and stumbled a step backwards. "_What_?!"

"I want to be your teacher," she repeated slowly. "I want to help you to learn how to use your powers so that you can perfect it to the best of your ability."

Alfred felt overwhelmed. Shock, confusion and fear made it feel like his heart was being forced into his throat, blocking any words from coming out. He didn't know what to say. On the one hand he was glad that she wasn't going to force him to destroy the Kingdoms, but on the other hand he was terrified of what he might do if he did learn to use his powers.

Up until now his plan had been to find out what his powers were, and then maybe experiment with them just so that he felt comfortable using them in dire situations. But if he learned how to control his powers fully he could do some serious damage to the Kingdoms.

That, and frankly, he was freaked out at the idea that he would have to meet with the Ace again.

"Well?" she asked, watching him wrestle with himself with amusement.

"Fine," he finally grumbled. "You can teach me or whatever." He really didn't have much of a choice, anyways.

"Excellent," she said with another creepy smile. Alfred shivered involuntarily.

"So, what are my powers?" he asked and anxiety made his heart pound in his chest. "Why is everyone out to get my guts?"

She shot him a sharp look before gazing upwards at the stars above him. The fairies floated in the air like bright blue orbs and cast her face half in shadow. Alfred swallowed thickly as Eleana placed a comforting hand on his ear. Her presence made him feel better somehow. Eleana had been with him since the beginning, after all.

"Your powers are indeed unique," the Ace of Spades said softly and Alfred griped the pocket watch tightly in his sweaty palm. "Inside of you, you hold the power of the Sun who created this world."

"Meaning?" Alfred asked.

She looked at him with those cat-like silver eyes, and said, "You can manipulate the influence of a Kingdom on any object, person or place of your desire. You control the very magic that ties the Kingdoms together, and it is with this power that you can unravel the threads that tie the Aces to this world."

Alfred chewed on his lip, quiet for a moment. The way she said it…it just didn't seem like this 'power' of his was anything impressive. What did she mean- manipulation of a Kingdom's influence? What kind of influence did a Kingdom have? Was she talking about the Tattoos or something?

"You said something about manipulation of the Kingdoms' influences," he said slowly. "I don't understand what that means. What is the Kingdoms' influence and why is it important to the Triumvirates?"

"The Kingdoms' influence is everywhere," the Ace of Spades said. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed it yet."

She floated past him and he looked over his shoulder at her, still wary. He turned around and watched her as she reached the tree he had been sitting at before.

"So, what? You mean I can control the magic in the air or something?" he called out to her.

"No, I'm not saying that," she said calmly. "Give me a moment to explain."

She reached up and picked a leaf off of the tree. Clasping it in her hand, she floated back towards him. He tensed as she came closer, holding the pocket watch closer to his chest just like before.

"Watch me," she commanded and he nodded, exhilaration making his heart race.

She closed her fingers around the leaf and closed her eyes. For a moment her eyes screwed up with concentration and blue light illuminated her fingers. Alfred's eyes widened; it looked like she was holding a star in her fist rather than a simple leaf. A second later though, the light had disappeared. Gently, the Ace opened her hand.

He leaned forward and tilted his head to the side curiously. The leaf was now a dark blue, no longer the healthy green from before. At its center was a glowing Spade symbol.

"What does it mean?" he asked as he looked back up at her.

"_That_," she said, pointing to the Spade symbol. "Is evidence of the Spade Kingdom's influence. Every living and non-living thing in the Spade Kingdom bares this invisible mark. The mark binds these objects to the Kingdoms."

Alfred's mind cleared and his mouth fell open. "That's what the Tattoos are, right? They're evidence of the Kingdoms' influence!"

She smiled at him, this time kindly and without showing him her teeth. "You are correct."

"Okay, so I get what the Kingdoms influence is now. But what can I do with it?"

"You can manipulate it, change it, transform it, erase it," she said, listing off the possibilities out loud. "You can do _anything_ you want to it."

Her words fell heavy on his ears and anxiety suddenly made it difficult to breathe. Those words- they meant something. Something important; he could tell by the way she said 'anything'. His stomach twisted painfully and he looked back down at the leaf, trying to keep the worry off his face.

"So, are you saying I can erase this mark?" He waved a hand at the Spade on the leaf. "I can get rid of it, completely?"

She nodded. "Yes. We- the Aces- call it neutralizing. If it is easier, you can think of it as turning the Spade leaf into a No-Man's-Land leaf. You erase all traits that make it part of the Kingdoms."

"But I still don't get it. What's so important about changing a leaf's mark or whatever?"

"Apply it to a larger scale," she said softly, her gaze boring into his eyes. "Think about it. What else could you erase?"

He stared at her and somewhere in the back of his mind, something clicked together. Suddenly, his eyes widened and all of the blood rushed out of his cheeks. Dread and fear rushed through him and he opened his mouth and closed his mouth, unable to form a complete sentence. The Ace watched him as he struggled to come up with something to say, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Are you saying," he said finally, his voice shaking. "That I can erase someone's Tattoo?"

The Ace didn't say anything. She just stayed as she was, not even moving, yet still looking at him intensely.

He clenched his hands into tight fists and stared back at her with huge eyes, waiting for an answer. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that he was trembling.

"Well?" he said desperately. "Can I do it? Can I erase a person's Tattoo?"

Finally she opened her mouth and said quietly, "You can do more than that, Alfred Jones."

He snapped.

"What do you mean?!" he practically screamed at her. "_Explain it to me_! For once in my life can someone _please_ just give me a straightforward answer?!" He was cracking, he could feel it. He had an idea of what else he could do, and just the thought of it made him go weak. If he could do what he was thinking of….

"You can erase Tattoos," she admitted at last. "But you can also change them. You can make a Spade a Diamond, a Club a Heart; no one is safe from your power. Not the Queen, or the Jack or the Jokers. Not even the Aces."

Alfred's chest was heaving. He needed to know the answers to his problems; he had come too far to give up now, even when the answers were so completely unbelievable. He forced himself to calm down, to breathe normally.

When he could speak without his voice shaking, he said, "So that's why I'm dangerous to the Kingdoms. I can change their people's Tattoos so that they don't have enough citizens to support that Kingdom."

"Or you could change the Tattoo of the Triumvirate," she suggested. "In the middle of a war period, such as this time, how could a Kingdom win without its Triumvirate?"

He scowled at her. "Won't the Numbers watch over the Kingdom until they find the new Triumvirate?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps. But there would be no clear leader until then. Plus there is always the possibility that the Kingdom might fall before the Numbers find the new Triumvirate, and then of course the new King and Queen wouldn't have _any_ experience commanding an army, much less a Kingdom-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" he snapped at her. "You don't need to rub it in." He turned away from her and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

How was he going to convince Arthur and the other Triumvirates that he meant them no harm? If he really could do these things, the leaders of the Kingdoms would be wary of him no matter what he said. They would never feel fully safe as long as he was around.

He let his hand drop and stared blankly out at the meadow. No wonder Arthur wanted him dead. He would too, if he was in the Spade Queen's position.

"Your powers aren't just limited to Tattoos, in case you were wondering," the Ace called out to him from behind.

He whirled around and Eleana let out a tiny shriek as she tried to hold onto the folds of his shirt.

"What do you mean?" he snarled. He gripped the pocket watch in his hand so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked airily as she examined the blue Spade leaf between her fingers.

"_Yes_!" What the hell else could he do to threaten the Kingdoms?

"I told you before that you can manipulate the Kingdoms' influence. But that extends far beyond just Tattoos."

"What," Alfred began to say, trying his very best to keep his temper. "Do you mean?"

"The Kingdoms' influence is etched into every piece of magic- every spell, every curse, every prophecy- that was used to create this world. For example," she said, with a strange expression on her face. "The United Bond."

Alfred's brow furrowed. "The United Bond," he repeated.

She nodded. "Yes. The Kingdoms' influence extends to magic even as powerful as that. If you wish, you could neutralize any United Bond you desire-"

Alfred recoiled, a shocked noise escaped from his lips.

"Why would I ever want to do that?" he cried. "That's- that's-"

"That's what?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"That's repulsive!" he hissed as fury raked through him. How could she- how dare she even suggest- why would he _ever_ want do something like that-?!

"And why would that be?" She seemed to enjoy teasing him, pulling his strings, driving him to the edge.

"Because!" he burst out. "You can't just say stuff like that! Breaking the United Bond isn't something you can say so lightly; what do you think would happen to the Kings and Queens if their Bond was broken? I still remember what Kiku told me from all of those years ago about his Bond with Ludwig. He made it seem that- that he would rather die a million times over than leave Ludwig's side."

"So?" she said coolly and Alfred's jaw fell open in shock. "The Bond is made of magic, not feelings of love or devotion. Any attachment or loyalty the people in the Bond feels is fake. Would it not do the rulers a favor to be freed of this lie?" Alfred balled his hands into fists and glared.

"No, it wouldn't!" Alfred said through clenched teeth. "Those relationships aren't fake! They can't be! You can't convince me that the Kings and Queens don't feel something towards each other after years and years of protecting their Kingdom together! Any person in their right mind would be upset if something happened to their best friend; it's the same thing with the Kings and Queens. If someone suddenly erases that relationship there will be nothing but an empty hole left in the rulers' hearts. They would be scarred for life."

She raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed. "They would survive, I assure you. I did, as did the other Aces."

"I don't care about you and your friends!" Alfred spat. "I only care about protecting the people I care about, and I know for sure that breaking the Bonds would do anything _but_ that. I refuse to do something that would hurt Kiku and Ludwig, or Arthur."

Suddenly the Ace smiled, an odd glint appearing in her silver eyes. "Arthur, you say? But Arthur doesn't have a King. Why would breaking the Bonds hurt him if he doesn't have a Bond to begin with?"

Alfred stopped in mid-rant, mouth open.

Of course…she was right; Arthur had no Bond. Even if Kiku and Ludwig would be hurt by the change- which they certainly would- why was he so worried about Arthur when the Spade Queen was the least likely to be damaged? But then again, he had always been worried about Arthur even when he had no right to be.

"Have you ever wondered why, Alfred?" she asked quietly. "Why do you care so much for a person you should have never met?"

Alfred's head snapped up and he stared at her. "What are you saying?" he said after a pause. A knot was forming in the pit of his stomach and he didn't much like the feeling.

"Alfred Jones," the Ace of Spades said solemnly, shaking her head. "Even without the fate of the Wild Card on your shoulders, you would have had a future told in stories for generations to come."

Alfred's throat was starting to ache and his eyes burned. He blinked, pressing his lips into a thin line. Why was he so upset all of a sudden?

"If I hadn't been the Wild Card," he began to say somewhat unsteadily. "Who would I have been?"

"If you hadn't been the Wild Card," she mused, giving him a small but sad smile. "You would not have stayed in Hearts, I assure you. You would not have met and stayed with Kiku Honda, or sold your future for Feliciano Vargas."

He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump there. "Where then?" he croaked. "Would I have gone to Diamonds with Matthew?"

She shook her head. "No."

He made a choking noise and tears formed in his eyes despite his attempts to stem them. He looked back down at the Spade pocket watch in his hand and let out a shuddering breath. So. Even in another life he would have been left alone.

"You would have been a Spade," the Ace's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing them to a complete halt. He slowly looked up to find the Ace giving him a fond expression. "Just like your mother."

"Is that so?" His voice cracked. "Is that all?"

"You would have been King," she said abruptly and her voice echoed around the clearing, sounding clear and strong.

Alfred felt himself go white at her words. He stared at her, uncomprehending, while the world began to tilt dizzily. He stumbled back a step to keep his balance and shook his head repeatedly.

"That's impossible," he whispered. "I'm not a noble-"

"Who said you needed to be a noble to be born a King?" she shot back. "All of the citizens just assume that you must be of noble stature to become part of the Royal Deck. They forget that status does not determine the next rulers, but the Eternal Implements of the Spade Kingdom. Very much," she said with a nod towards the pocket watch. "-like the one in your hand."

He looked down at the gold watch, feeling numb.

"Before you said that the watch found you, not the other way around," the Ace's voice washed over him. "How very insightful of you. Washington D.C. disappeared a long time ago from the clutches of the Royal Deck, though they did not notice it had gone until recent events caused them to worry. The Eternal Implements do not choose the next rulers; rather they recognize their new owner and open their powers up to him or her. Washington D.C. knew that its true owner did not live in Spades, so it transported itself to a place where it knew you would find it."

"No-Man's-Land," Alfred said faintly and the Ace nodded. The fact that he was supposed to be the King was starting to seep in, and bit by bit the pieces started to fall into place.

"So, that's why I can get into the King's Private Study? And why I can use Washington?" he asked, holding up the watch.

"In part, yes."

"In part?"

"You are the Wild Card," she said simply. "You can enter the King's Private Study in part because you can neutralize the specific enchantment that only allows the King to find it. It is also for that reason that you can use Washington, as well as any other Eternal Implement you desire."

"I can use all of the Eternal Implements?" he repeated, dumbfounded. Who had decided to give the Wild Card all of this power?

"Naturally. You already exercised London, did you not? And then there's the gift the Hearts Queen gave you-" She pointed at his chest, where Kiku's pendant hung around his neck.

"Only the Queen of Hearts can use Tokyo," she said calmly as Alfred's hand jumped upwards to touch the pendant. "Yet Kiku Honda gave you a petal, knowing that there was a high probability that you would be able to use it."

He frowned at her, keeping his hand pressed protectively over the pendant. "But how do you know that I'm supposed to be the King of Spades if I can use every Implement? Just the fact that I can use Washington isn't enough-"

"But it found you," she pointed out, sounding almost gentle. "It sought you out specifically. And then there's your relationship with Arthur Kirkland, of course."

"My relationship with Arthur?" he said. "What does that have to do with- oh."

Suddenly, finally, it made sense. How could he not have seen it sooner?

"I have a United Bond with Arthur?" he asked the Ace, though in his heart he knew the answer.

"A much diluted form of it, but yes. You do." She smiled at him, this time kindly.

"What do you mean by diluted?" he said, confused. Could magic that strong even be called that?

"If you really were the King, your feelings of protectiveness and attachment would have been much stronger than they are right now," she explained. "You are only experiencing the Bond at half of its full potential at the moment. But that alone is enough for anyone to see the truth. I'm surprised Yao Wang has not figured it out yet, if I'm to be honest. But then again," she said with a sigh. "Maybe he doesn't want to."

Alfred remained silent, processing this new information. Arthur was the person he was Bonded to. In another life, they were meant to rule Spades together. He wondered if they would have been good rulers. Would he have gotten along with Yao if he was a Spade?

An idea hit him, and he blurted out, "If I choose Spades, would I still become the King?"

The Ace blinked, looking stunned. "Excuse me?"

"If I choose to become a Spade," he spoke urgently, staring at her intensely. "Could I still become the King of Spades?"

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "I would assume. _But_-" she said as he opened his mouth again. "That wouldn't bring about an end to the war."

"Well, why not?" he demanded as his heart pounded in his chest. Was this it? Was this the answer to the end of everything? "If I give up my right as Wild Card they would have no reason to fight-"

She shook her head furiously, her hair flying around her like a blue inferno. "_No_. You cannot do that. Even if you become a Spade, your power still lingers. It will still attract others to Spades and weaken their loyalty to their own Kingdom. The Triumvirates will know this. There will be no peace until you are no longer in the situation. Until then you are a threat, as my Queen so helpfully pointed out."

Alfred clenched his teeth together. Really, did everything have to be so impossible?

"Either way I'm doomed to die, is what you're saying?" he said bluntly.

"Unless you neutralize the Kingdoms, then, yes."

Alfred scowled. Damn her, she didn't even sound upset. Time to change strategy.

"Arthur won't let me die," he told her confidently.

"Won't he?" she said coolly.

"No, he won't. If we really are Bonded- even if it's really weak like you say- he'll want to protect me. And Kiku will always care about me because we're best friends. He's fighting the war to get me back, not to kill me. They won't let me die."

"But you will be forcing them into a life of suffering," she said instantly. "They will be forced to choose between the safety of their Kingdom and the life of their friend. Are you really that cruel, to make them choose?"

Alfred's jaw dropped at her frankness. He was speechless. She was the one who wanted the Kingdoms gone, and she was calling _him_ cruel?!

"Furthermore, even if you one day choose a Kingdom, you will never _truly_ belong there."

He froze, mouth still half open.

"You don't belong _anywhere_, Alfred Jones," the Ace continued to say, staring at him intensely. "You are an outsider, a loner, a Suit without symbol or number to call your own. If you choose any Kingdom other than Hearts you will be seen as a traitor to your friends as well as your new kin. How could anyone trust a person who chose an enemy Suit instead of their own? And if you choose Hearts, you will betray Spades and all of your new friends. You will have to leave Arthur, the person who you are Bonded to. And the Hearts citizens will no longer see you as a peasant after nearly fighting a war for your sake. No matter what choice you make, people will want to know why there was nearly a world scale war over a simple stable boy-"

"Stop," he whispered brokenly. There was a dull roar in his ears, overpowering all thoughts as his horror threatened to swallow him whole.

"No matter what you do, no matter what you might try to prevent word from spreading, the Wild Card Prophecy will spread." The Ace was speaking quietly now, her eyes glowing so bright they looked bleach white. "You will never be safe even if your precious friends try to protect you. People will hunt you down, refusing to let a mere _teenager_ threaten the safety of their families-"

"Stop. Stop saying such terrible-" Alfred tried to say.

"Oh, yes, you will die, Alfred Jones," she finished triumphantly. A cat like grin nearly split her face in two. "But not before enduring several months if not years of suffering and torture with no one to turn to. The only way out is to do as I say and neutralize the Kingdoms, destroying their existence before _they_ destroy _yours_-!"

"_SHUT UP_!" Alfred all but shrieked, his voice unnaturally high. He was squeezing his eyes shut and he had his hands pressed flat against his ears in a vain attempt to block out her voice. Anything to stop from hearing her poisoned words-

"Just listen to me-" the Ace purred hypnotically.

"_I said STOP_!" Alfred roared. This time he put as much power as he could into his words, attempting to draw on whatever Natural Magic he possessed to make his wish come true. He would do anything, anything in the world, just as long as the Ace stopped speaking.

Something strange happened when Alfred had finished shouting. His stomach dropped to the ground, like he was falling from someplace very high, and all of the breath in his lungs rushed out of him, leaving him breathless and dizzy. He could feel the air around him waver and pulse as if in a heatwave. It felt like he had released something inside of him into the air, like a spirit or ghost.

Slowly, very slowly, he opened his eyes and was shocked at what he saw.

The air was rippling- just like it had before when the Ace had gotten angry- but this time the rings of power were coming from _him_. He was surrounded by multicolored circles of light that passed through everything in the clearing, leaving behind a strange phenomenon. Every time a beam of light moved over a leaf or tree, the plants shifted and changed to match the color of the light. Orange turned the plants to metal while green covered everything with a light layer of powdered snow, blue made the plants glow like they were possessed by fairies-

The Ace was perhaps the most shocking sight of all. She arched, suspended in the air as the beams passed through her. With every beam her form flickered and almost disappeared completely before a blue beam appeared, turning her into nothing more than a ball of blue-white light. The sight was hard to watch and Alfred- anger forgotten- had to hold his hand over his eyes to shield them against its glare.

Then, just as soon as they appeared, the beams dissipated into the air. Alfred blinked as he watched, stunned, as the lights swirled around him in one gigantic rainbow wave before evaporating completely. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Ace of Spades collapse to the ground in a heap.

He sucked in a stuttering, unsteady breath and dropped to his knees. His entire frame shook and Alfred gasped desperately for air. He had never felt so weak before, he noted, as his arms trembled from the effort of holding himself up on all fours. It was like he had never breathed before a day in his life.

"Well done," came a breathless murmur from across the clearing. "I always knew you had it within you."

He coughed, wheezing slightly and looked over at her. "Had what?" he rasped.

Her eyes gleamed. "The power. You _can_ neutralize the Kingdoms. I always felt it, but…I'm sure of it now."

He shook his head. "I already told you-"

"I know," she said softly. "I know. But I just need you to stop for a moment and think. _Please_, Wild; please think about what I said. I know I was harsh, but you know I am right. Everything I said will happen if you don't do as I say."

Alfred sat back on his heels and let out a hopeless kind of laugh. "I don't know what to think. I don't even know what's real anymore." He stared up at the sky, feeling empty and numb.

"At least think about it," she said and floated back into the air. Alfred watched her emotionlessly as she neared him, no longer angry at the Ace. He didn't have the energy to be angry at her. She wouldn't change her opinion no matter what he said anyways.

"I'm going to come back," she said quietly as she leaned over him. "You made a promise to me."

Her hair brushed his face. He looked up at her and said simply, "I know."

She hesitated before reaching out with her hand and ran a finger down the side of his right cheek slowly. He didn't even flinch at her cool touch.

"Just call for Eleana when you want to find me," she said. "She will know what to do."

"Eleana?" he repeated.

"Yes." She drew back. "The fairies and I are connected. They disappeared when you released your power, but I will send Eleana to shadow you from now on."

"Did you send Eleana to meet me at the Gathering?" Alfred asked out of instinct. "Did you make her lead me into the path of the carriage so I would meet Arthur?"

The Ace looked startled but quickly masked her expression. "No, of course not. I would never put you in danger."

Alfred frowned. Huh. Interesting. So she had done it after all.

"You know," the Ace mused, drawing Alfred out of his thoughts. "That is another sign that you were meant to be the King of Spades."

He looked at her quizzically. "What is?"

"The fact that you can see my fairies. They only make themselves known to the Spades Triumvirate, but only the King and Queen can understand their language."

"But I don't know what they're saying at all," Alfred pointed out. "I can see them, just like you said, but only Arthur can translate for me."

"You are _meant_ to be the King," she said. "But you are not the King yet. If you ever do become the King of Spades- which I advise against for reasons stated previously- you will understand their language."

"Oh." He let out a sigh. "Alright then."

She hesitated a moment before saying gently, "I meant what I said before, Wild. They _will _turn on you, and you will be left alone. Neutralizing the Kingdoms is the only way to save your life."

"What if I don't want to save my life?" he asked brashly. "Maybe I should just disappear! Then no one will have to suffer because of me."

"People have already suffered." The Ace straightened. "And giving yourself up to the Triumvirates will not change who you are. You will not let them kill you. I know this."

He let out a short, hopeless kind of laugh. "You sound like Prussia."

She smiled. "Ah, Gilbert. He will find you too, when you are ready to do as I say."

"Don't hold your breath," Alfred told her. "I'm not going to stop until I find a way to end this war peacefully."

She nodded. "I know. But you won't find any. As I said before, there is only one option left to you right now. Neutralizing the Kingdoms is the only way to save you and your friends, Alfred Jones. And the sooner you come to realize this, the better it will be for us all."

-o0o-

"And so lying underneath those stormy skies  
>She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"<p>

Paradise, Coldplay  
>-o0o-<p>

**Background Information:**

***So, remember that vision Alfred had back in chapter 10 with the old man sitting at a desk with a list in front of him? Yeah, that was Washington. **

****Another vision from chapter 10.**


	18. Chapter 15, Spades Throne Room

**7/25/2013 **

**Three things before the chapter starts: 1)I am SO sorry for the lack of updates. From now on, I'm just not going to say when a next update might be coming because I honestly don't know. 2)A huge thank you to those who are still reading this or have found this story and still fav/alert it even though it looks like the story has been dead for half a year now. This story is not dead, its just taking a while to write. 3)There are a lot of switching/overlapping viewpoints in this chapter, just so you know.**

**I do not own Hetalia. Beta'd by waterbringer.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- spare guest bedroom_

Matthew woke up when the door to his bedroom flew open and banged into the wall, sending a vibration of loud noise through the air.

The noise shocked him awake and he almost shrieked at the sight of the hooded figure crouching over him before England clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet!" England hissed. "It's just me."

Matthew, eyes wide, nodded fervently and England withdrew his hand, leaning away. Matthew sat up quickly and scrambled to reach his glasses on the nightstand beside him. When he placed them on his face he was surprised to see how pale England looked, and how wild his eyes were.

"What is it?" Matthew asked, sitting straighter while England stood shrouded in shadow beside his bed. "What's wrong?" His mind immediately flew to Alfred and he started to panic.

"Did something happen to Alfred?!" he demanded.

England hesitated, then said, "Something has happened and it does involve your brother, though I do not know yet how it will affect him."

"What? What do you mean? What happened-?"

"I can't tell you!" England interrupted him. To Matthew's surprise the Queen sounded frustrated, almost desperately so.

England took a deep breath and said in a much calmer voice, "I can't tell you. Not yet. But when you arrive in the Throne Room everything will be explained to you. I have come here to tell you to come to the Throne Room at once and to ask if you know the location of Alfred."

"I-" Matthew was stunned. "No, I don't know where Alfred is. I haven't seen him since last night when he was with Toris-"

Before he could finish England had turned on his heel and was striding out of Matthew's room, saying as he did so, "Be in the Throne Room in ten minutes, if not sooner. I need your help to contact Francis-"

"Wait!" Matthew struggled to throw his bed sheets off of him as he tried to stand. England stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the Diamond, illuminated by the hallway light and making him look strangely alien.

"England, what's going on?" Matthew asked frantically. "What does Alfred have to do with this?"

England's expression turned stony and he looked away.

"Our spies have sent us a message," the Spade Queen said finally. "The Clubs and Hearts Triumvirate have signed an alliance treaty, promising to fight against Spades and Diamonds until they defeat us. At this rate, we may very well lose the war."

And then he was gone, leaving Matthew to gape after him.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Stables_

Toris found Alfred in the Stables fifteen minutes after the Queen had contacted him. The teenager was sitting on the ground with his silver stallion, Artemis, leaning against her stomach and petting her neck in slow, steady movements.

A young man with buzzed cut dirty blond hair leaned against the opposite doorway, arms folded with a sword hanging from his belt. He didn't look very old, maybe slightly older than Alfred, if that. He had been staring out at the horizon, where the sun had yet to rise from, but looked away at the sound of Toris' footsteps.

The young man straightened when he saw Toris approaching. "Ah, Toris, sir." The blond bowed, much to Toris' surprise and slight amusement. "What brings you here, sir?"

Toris' brow furrowed and he looked sideways at Alfred for guidance. Who was this person?

Alfred shrugged, still sitting on the ground. "He's new," he said offhandedly and went back to petting Artemis.

"Ah." Toris nodded in understanding. Alfred had a new guard every half a day for three days and then on the fourth day the cycle would repeat, or that's how the system was supposed to work. Today was the third day, meaning that he would be meeting the last of Alfred's new guards this morning and in the afternoon. The blond must be the day three morning guard.

"What is your name?" Toris asked the guard kindly.

"Simon Amuls, sir," he answered, straightening. "It is an honor to meet you, sir. I have heard a lot about you."

Toris' lips twitched. "Thank you, Simon. It is very nice to meet you too. But, please, there is no need to call me sir. Just call me by name."

Simon opened his mouth to respond, but Alfred cut in, saying, "Now you know how I felt when we first met, huh Toris?"

Toris made a humming sound, considering what the teenager had said. He had forgotten that he used to call Alfred that. No wonder the teenager had asked Toris to stop; it was odd to hear someone calling him sir when he had not been addressed that way since departing from Clubs.

"Are you here to watch over Alfred?" Toris turned back to Simon.

Simon chewed on his lip, eyes hardening slightly. "Yes sir- I mean, yes. That's what I was told."

Alfred snorted and Simon threw him a withering look. Toris winced; this was not a good way to start out a new relationship, especially with someone who was supposed to protect Alfred's life.

"Sorry," Alfred said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. "I won't laugh again."

"Please, forgive him," Toris said apologetically to Simon. "He's under a lot of stress right now." Simon made a skeptical face but didn't say anything.

"What's going on, Toris?" Alfred asked, looking up at the servant. "Do we need to get going already?"

"The Queen sent me, actually," Toris said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

"Arthur?" Alfred said, just as Simon blurted, "The Queen?"

"Yes," Toris said slowly. He choose to ignore Simon's shocked expression; it was natural for the guard to be surprised that his supreme ruler was asking for someone like Alfred, but now was not the time to explain.

"He demands our presence in the Throne Room," he spoke specifically to Alfred this time.

"Why?" Alfred asked. "Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure. He seemed…upset."

Alfred frowned and his hand on Artemis' mane tightened into a fist. He didn't look surprised, much to Toris' confusion, just bothered.

"He needs both of us?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, that's what he told me."

"Why would he need both of us…?" Alfred's voice drifted off.

"I don't know," Toris said honestly, anxiety starting to form in his stomach. "But he did tell me to hurry. It is best if we leave as soon as possible."

Alfred sighed heavily. "Alright. Whatever Arthur wants is fine with me. Help me up, would you?" He held his hands up and Toris grinned before walking over. Alfred would always amuse him. He grabbed both of Alfred's wrists and pulled the teenager to his feet in one swift movement.

"Thanks," Alfred said as he dusted hay off of his clothes. Toris helpfully plucked a strand of hay out of Alfred's bangs as Artemis got to her feet besides them. Simon watched the interaction with a somewhat wary gaze.

Alfred ignored Simon and led Artemis past the guard without so much as a glance. Toris stared at Alfred as he guided his horse into a stall. He hadn't noticed it before but Alfred looked very pale and tired, even more so than he normally did during the morning. Had something happened last night after they had said goodnight to each other?

And there was something else…

The realization hit him when Alfred turned around and the little light coming from the windows was reflected on the rectangles of the glass planes resting on the Heart's nose.

"Alfred!" he said abruptly. "Are you wearing glasses?"

Alfred blinked. "Yeah."

"Why?" He had only seen Alfred with glasses once or twice before, usually for reading. But why was he wearing them now?

"Because I need them to see…?" Alfred said, sounding confused.

"But you never needed them before!" Toris argued as Alfred turned away and shut the gate to Artemis' pen. He ran a hand over her nose once before turning away and walking back towards Toris.

Alfred shrugged and said, "I still need them to see anyways though. I just didn't realize how much I needed them to see until this morning; I just woke up and everything was blurry. It was worse than any of the other days before now."

"And you only realized this now?" Toris asked with exasperation. Alfred shook his head, looking somewhat sheepish.

"It doesn't matter really. I need to wear them from now on and that's that." He gestured towards the doorway Toris had entered through. "Shouldn't we get going though? I don't think Arthur's the kind of person who tolerates lateness."

"Ah, yes. We should."

As they started to leave, Alfred called over his shoulder, "You coming, Simon?"

Simon scowled in response but started to follow. He made sure to stay a few feet away from the pair though, just enough so that he wouldn't be able to hear them talking.

They walked a brisk, silent pace towards the Castle entrance. Every now and then Toris found himself glancing at Alfred, worry starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Alfred was rarely this quiet, even in the morning. The glasses, though giving him an air of maturity, did not mask the dark circles under his blue eyes or the paleness of his cheeks.

"Alfred?" Toris said hesitantly and the teenager looked up. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." He yawned for effect. Toris raised his eyebrows.

Alfred smiled sheepishly. "I'm a little worried," he admitted. "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"The meeting? Do you know what it's about?" Toris was surprised. He didn't understand how Alfred knew so much about things he shouldn't.

Alfred hesitated but after a moment he turned away, saying, "It's probably something with the war."

Toris felt his heart sink and he stared at the back of Alfred's head with a sad expression. Would Alfred ever trust him?

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- on the way to the Throne Room_

The whole glasses thing made Alfred feel self conscious. He wasn't lying to Toris before; he really had woken up that morning and nearly everything had gone blurry. It was like his eyes had failed him overnight.

Part of him wondered if it had something to do with using the Wild Card powers from the last night.

Ace, he was tired. He had gotten maybe an hour of sleep last night before giving up and heading out to the stables. He had left a note for the new guard so at least that had worked out the way it was supposed to. The only problem now was the fact that he could hardly keep his eyes open and they were heading to this really important meeting and he didn't even know if he could stay awake through it-

"Alfred?"

He blinked at the sound of Toris' voice and looked up at his friend.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Toris was watching him with concerned eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured Toris. "Just tired." He yawed- it wasn't fake- and Toris raised an eyebrow incredulously. He clearly didn't believe him.

"I'm a little worried," Alfred said, finally giving in. "I have a bad feeling about all of this." No lie there, either.

"The meeting?" Toris looked a little shocked. "Do you know what it's about?"

Alfred was silent. He didn't know a hundred percent what the meeting was going to be about, but he could definitely guess. The only reason Arthur would call both him and Toris on such short notice and in such a panic would be if he found out about the Clubs Hearts alliance. But if he told Toris that he might look like a spy for Hearts.

He looked away from Toris to avoid eye contact and mumbled, "It's probably something with the war."

After a pause he heard Toris sigh, "You are probably right." He sounded worn out, tired.

Alfred made a face and resisted the urge to tell him the truth. He felt guilty for not telling Toris the truth after he had put so much faith in him, but he really didn't have a choice. His life was on the line here and he wasn't going to give himself up just so he wouldn't feel guilty anymore.

They traveled the rest of the way without saying anything. The only noise was the clicking sound of their shoes against the tile floor. With each step Alfred got more and more nervous, anxiety building up inside of him like a tidal wave. How much did Spades know? Did the spies learn who he was?

By the time the trio had reached the Throne Room, Alfred felt sick. He knew he looked it too by the way Simon kept glancing at him. Simon's expression turned more alarmed with every peek and Alfred tried his best to keep the scowl off of his face; it wasn't like he was going to pass out or anything. Instead he did his best to focus on the large oak doors in front of him.

"Are you ready?" Toris asked him quietly. Alfred hesitated- he could hear raised voices even through the wood- before letting out a loud sigh.

"Nope," he said honestly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But let's do this anyway."

Toris nodded solemnly and Alfred heard Simon shift slightly as the servant reached for the door handles.

Alfred took a deep breath, preparing himself, and Toris pushed the doors open.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Throne Room_

They were met with a roar of noise.

Toris instantly felt Alfred recoil against him, almost stopping short. Toris gently nudged him, trying to get him to continue moving. Alfred stumbled forward a step but kept close to Toris' side, stiff as a piece of wood.

Toris didn't blame Alfred for being so hesitant and on guard. The Throne Room was filled with nobles from the Royal Deck, even including some outsiders like military leaders. They were all sitting- or standing, rather- around a large oval table in the center of the room. That table hadn't been there the day Toris and Alfred helped the Queen and Jack of Diamonds.

They were all shouting randomly, but it most of the anger seemed to be directed at the three men who stood at the head of the table, closest to the Thrones and farthest from the entrance. Toris' expression cleared when he recognized the Queen and Jack of Spades in the usual indigo attire with Canada of Diamonds standing beside them.

The Queen wore a strained expression and was trying to speak over the raised voices of the other nobles, arms waving in angry gestures, while the Jack and Canada stood behind him. The Jack's face seemed closed off and blank but Toris, who had been around the Triumvirate enough to know their expressions, was shocked at the cold fury in those slanted eyes. Canada, on the other hand, was pale as the non-melting snow Toris had lived with while in Clubs. He had dark circles around his eyes and he looked almost sick just standing there.

For a moment the Trio- Toris, Alfred and Simon- remained immobile in the doorway, staring at the scene in front of them. Toris felt a thrill of fear as he realized the seriousness of the situation they had just walked into and shot an anxious glance at Alfred, whose expression was nearly identical to that of his twin brother. Toris followed the teenager's gaze and was unsurprised to find it trained on the three at the head of the table.

From behind them Toris heard Simon murmur softly in awe, "Holy Ace. What's going on here?"

Toris wished he had an answer.

At that exact moment the Queen's green gaze landed on the group standing in the doorway and relief replaced the frustration in his eyes.

"Toris!" the Queen called out over the nobles and a hush fell over the group.

Toris winced as all eyes fell on them, more specifically on Alfred. Their gazers weren't friendly, and by the way Alfred tensed, he had noticed too. What Alfred didn't notice, however, was the way the Queen's expression relaxed and softened upon seeing the golden haired teen; it was as if Alfred's mere presence calmed him.

Toris frowned slightly, looking back and forth between them. There was something strange going on. He had noticed the first day Alfred had arrived in Spades that he was treated specially by the Spade Queen from other prisoners, but this was something completely different. Now more than ever, Toris wondered what Alfred meant in the grand scheme of things. There was no way he was just a simple Hearts citizen, even if he was a friend of the Queen of Hearts. He had to be something else, something more.

Toris cleared his throat awkwardly after a moment, breaking the heavy tension in the air as the nobles continued to stare at Alfred.

"Your Majesty," he said politely and bowed his head. Alfred followed a heartbeat later, bobbing his head stiffly.

"You called for us?" Toris continued to say as he straightened.

Some of the worry returned to the Queen's face and his eyes darted to Alfred for a brief second before turning back to Toris, saying, "Yes. There is a matter of great importance that I need your advice for." He gestured with his hand for them to come forward.

Toris was hesitant to bring Alfred closer with all of the hostile looks he was receiving but silently did what he was asked. Alfred stuck to his side like glue and Simon followed cautiously as well.

The room remained dead silent.

"Everyone," the Queen addressed the crowd as the trio drew near. "Please, take a seat and compose yourselves. I know this news is alarming, but in order to solve the problem we must stay level-headed and calm. Please remain silent and let Yao explain what we know as of now while I contact the Diamonds Triumvirate."

Yao stepped forward to take the Queen's place and spread out his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Ladies and gentlemen-"

It was at that second that Toris, Alfred and Simon reached the head of the table. In a heartbeat the Queen's hand was clasped around Alfred's wrist and he began to pull the teenager away from the table towards the Thrones. Toris naturally followed the pair, though of his own free will. Simon too started after them but stopped when the Queen turned to glare at him, giving the wordless order to stay behind.

"Soldier, attend any other business you have and return to watch Alfred within half a day's time," the Queen instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness." Simon bowed and left, though he looked like he wanted to stay.

Canada suddenly fell into step beside Toris as they followed the Spades Queen and the servant only hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you know what's going on here?"

"Partially," Canada answered calmly. He kept his gaze trained on Alfred and the Queen, who had stopped walking now that they were far enough from the nobles. "I'm sure England will explain everything, though. He is a good Queen, after all."

Toris started and stared at the Diamond, surprised. He didn't say anything though since they had reached the now arguing pair.

"Arthur, you can't just expect me to stand there and accept their insults-!" Alfred was saying angrily, though Toris noticed that he had not pulled away from the Queen's grasp.

"I wasn't suggesting that!" the Queen retorted back, a prominent scowl on his face once more. "I just need you to stay silent and not argue with the other nobles! It would only make them more furious and give them reason to cause you harm-"

"I can take care of myself!"

"Alfred!" Canada cut in, sounding exasperated.

Startling blue eyes turned to glare at the Number. "What? It's true! I grew up in _Hearts_ after all-"

"I don't care where you grew up!" Canada snapped and Alfred actually took a step backwards at his tone. "You don't need to be put at more risk than you already are! Just do as England says and don't speak; he's only trying to protect you."

Alfred gaped at his brother, speechless for the first time since Toris had met him. The silence only lasted for a brief second before the Queen turned to Toris.

"Toris, I must ask a favor of you," the Queen said in hushed tones.

"What is it?" Toris almost stuttered at the intensity of the other's gaze.

"I think there might be need for us to use your knowledge of Clubs. If the situation arises, can you be prepared to tell me- as well as the rest of the Royal Deck- everything you can remember about that place? Would you be able to do that for me?"

"Of course." Toris bowed his head respectfully. He would do anything for Spades. How could the Queen doubt him?

Relief flooded the Queen's face. "Thank you," he said softly.

Before he could help himself, Toris blurted out, "Your Majesty, what's going on-?"

"Go back to the table," the Queen interrupted him and pointed back to the spot where the Jack was continuing to address the nobles. "There should be a few open seats there by now. If you make it back in time, Yao will be able to explain everything to you."

"Ah-" Toris looked at the table and then back to the other three. The Queen was looking at him expectantly, knowing that Toris would not disobey, while Canada stood next to him with his lips pressed into a thin line. There was a strange kind of desperateness in his indigo eyes; the raw emotion was strong enough to scare Toris though he wasn't exactly sure why.

And then finally there was Alfred. The teenager looked like he was trying very hard not to pout, brow furrowed and his lips turned down just slightly in the corners. One wouldn't think that he would fit into the picture, standing between a Spades Queen and a Diamond Number. But, Toris realized with slight awe, that person couldn't be more wrong.

Alfred wasn't standing between a Queen and a Number, but rather he was standing between a dear friend he called Arthur and his twin brother Matthew, the sole survivor of a family lost to the both of them forever. And Toris could see the threads connecting the Spade and Diamond to the lost Heart, almost as if they were steel chains linking the three together.

Canada was desperate indeed; he would do anything to protect his brother from whatever was going on here, that much was obvious. But the Queen, or Arthur in this case…what linked him to Alfred? After all, he seemed just as desperate as Canada to protect Alfred.

"Toris?" the Queen spoke, jerking the servant out of his thoughts.

"Oh." Toris realized he had been staring. "I apologize, Your Majesty. I will be going now."

He could feel their bewildered gazes as he began to walk back towards the table, but he didn't turn around. He didn't know what was going on between the Queen and Alfred, and he wasn't sure if he ever would. But he was sure that the Queen would do his best to keep Toris' friend safe. And that, really, was all that mattered in the end.

-o0o-

Alfred stared after Toris with bemusement. He supposed if anyone deserved to be a little weird, it was Toris.

"Canada," Arthur said abruptly, turning. "Will you be able to do this?"

Matthew nodded and Alfred frowned, confused. "Do what?" he asked.

"Connect with the Diamonds Triumvirate," Arthur said without missing a beat. "As long as there is a Diamond here, I can create a link between him and others in his Kingdom. In order to reach Francis and Lilli I need to use Canada as a mediator of sorts."

"It won't hurt him, right?" Alfred asked, slightly panicked. Why else would have Arthur asked if Matthew could do it?

"Of course not," Arthur said with a wave of his hand. Alfred looked toward Matthew for a second opinion.

"It won't hurt me," Matthew reassured him. "It'll just tire me out a bit. But other than that, I won't feel a thing."

"Okay…" Alfred said hesitantly. Arthur looked at him, a serious expression on his face.

"Before I do this," he said seriously. "You have to swear to me that you'll do as I say."

Alfred made a face and Arthur scowled.

"I'm not joking, Alfred. This is an extremely dangerous situation. Listen to me for once and don't speak back to the nobles. In fact, don't speak at all unless I tell you it's okay."

"But-!" Alfred sputtered. He wanted to listen to Arthur, he really did, but he couldn't just sit there and let them insult him in front of his own _nose_-!

"Alfred!" Arthur cried and yanked hard on Alfred's wrists. Alfred was stunned into silence at the raw fear and desperation he heard in that one word.

"Please, Alfred," Arthur breathed. "You said- you_ promised_ me that you would listen to what I said as long as I completed my end of the bet, remember?"

Alfred blinked and thought back to that day in the library. Now that he thought about it, he had promised Arthur that he would try harder to obey the Queen's will. And he didn't go back on his promises, not even the one that had cost him his freedom.

"I did," he admitted grudgingly and ignored Matthew's raised eyebrows.

"Yes." Arthur gave him a somewhat jerky nod. "You did. And now I am holding you to that promise. I did what you asked; I went to your party and now you have your new guards. I put my faith and trust in you. Now it's your turn to put your trust in me."

Alfred swallowed uncomfortably. He thought back to what the Ace of Spades said about the United Bond between him and Arthur. He didn't really have a choice in trusting Arthur, did he? He never had.

He bit his lip and nodded. "Alright. I'll do as you say."

Arthur let out a relieved sigh and let go of Alfred's wrists. "Thank you. I understand this is difficult for you-"

"No, I totally get it," Alfred cut in. "You're right; I owe you."

Arthur looked slightly taken aback at Alfred's sudden willingness to obey him, but didn't argue.

"Alright, Canada. Give me your hands."

Alfred watched with curiosity as Matthew wrapped both of his hands around Arthur's left. Arthur lifted his free right hand and placed it gently on Matthew's forehead, right between his eyes.

Arthur closed his eyes and began to murmur low words under his breath. Alfred shifted where he stood, uncomfortable with letting Arthur use magic on his brother, and cast a wary glance at Matthew. His twin met his gaze with a bemused smile before also shutting his eyes.

As the seconds passed, Arthur's hands began to gleam with the light blue glow London and Washington gave off when giving a vision. The glow spread from his hands to Matthew and soon the Diamond was encased in the soft hue.

Suddenly, Alfred's stomach lurched and a second later the glow around Matthew flared. The light tripled and became large enough to fit another three people in its glow, including Matthew. The light then split into three vague shapes and shifted until they resembled human bodies. Details started to appear within the shapes and finally three blue shaded images of Diamonds Triumvirate stood before them.

Alfred stared. Now _that _was an impressive use of magic. He would have to ask Arthur later how he did it.

The one form that looked exactly like France opened its- his?- eyes slowly to meet Arthur's.

"Arthur," it said with France's voice. "What is wrong? Why have you called us?"

"Francis, thank Ace you responded." Arthur took a step forward, releasing his hold on Matthew. Alfred panicked for a moment, worried that the loss of connection might break the spell, but a thin string of blue light from Arthur's hand attached itself to Matthew's and kept the two connected. Matthew alone remained shrouded in the dim blue glow.

Arthur reached out and grasped France's hand. Alfred wasn't sure how they were able to touch since the Diamonds were technically apparitions, but he kept his mouth shut. He looked at Matthew, but his brother's eyes were still firmly shut. It almost looked like he was sleeping standing up.

"My spies have come back," Arthur said lowly and France's eyes widened.

"What did they say?" Lili- or, Lichtenstein, Alfred supposed he should call her- spoke up.

Arthur glanced at her. "The Clubs- they have entered the war."

"On whose side?" Switzerland asked.

"Hearts," Arthur said solemnly and Lichtenstein sucked in a breath. Alfred grimaced; he had been afraid that's what this was all about. But they had to learn about it sooner or later.

"Why?" France demanded, his hands clenching into fists underneath Arthur's. "Clubs would never enter such a war unless there was something in it for them. What does Hearts have to offer?"

Arthur released France and took a step back. He looked slightly ill and so worn out that Alfred was afraid he was going to fall over.

"It's not what Hearts has that made Clubs enter the war," he said with a shake of his head.

"What do you mean?" Lichtenstein said.

Arthur hesitated for a moment. "According to my spies, it's something Spades has- not Hearts- that Clubs wants."

France's eyes narrowed. "What? Have you been hiding something from us, Arthur?"

Arthur scowled. "Of course not," he said, bristling. "Do you honestly think I would keep something like that from you?"

"Well, I-"

"Francis!" Lichtenstein said and France shut his mouth. Arthur folded his arms and stared at the pair with a level glare.

"Arthur," she said, turning to the Spades Queen. "Please, forgive my King. We are all under a great deal of stress and he does not mean what he said. He is just worried for our people, like you are. Do tell us what it is the Clubs want."

Arthur's glare crumpled in a matter of seconds. He dropped his arms and looked away.

"It's the Wild Card," he said and Alfred stopped breathing. "Based on what our spies have told us, both the Clubs and Hearts Triumvirate have reason to believe that we have possession of the Wild Card. And that we are planning to use the Wild Card against them in the future."

He straightened, saying, "That is why Clubs joined Hearts. They believe that the only way to ensure their survival is to fight us and take the Wild Card back from Spades."

There was silence, except for the far away sound of Yao's voice explaining the same exact thing to the Spades nobles.

France's mouth was parted slightly as he stared at Arthur with a dumbfounded expression. Lichtenstein had gone stark white, her eyes huge, and Switzerland's mouth turned into a thin line as his hands clenched into fists. Matthew's eyes remained closed, but Alfred could see the stiffness in his posture from the news.

"You- you are not lying?" France said finally, voice hoarse. "They truly believe we have found the Wild Card?"

"Yes, I just said that," Arthur snapped. "And before you ask me- no, I do not know who the Wild Card is any more than you do. This is the first time I have heard mention of him as well."

"Then why do Clubs and Hearts think that-?" Lichtenstein began to say.

Arthur shook his head, a miserable expression on his face. "I don't know. The only explanation would be-"

"The Jokers," Switzerland finished.

"Exactly. Or the Aces. But I haven't heard from either in a very, very long time." Arthur's brow furrowed at this realization.

"Neither have we, now that you mention it," Lichtenstein said with a glance at France for confirmation. "But there hasn't been a need. This is a peaceful time."

"Was," Arthur corrected and Alfred looked away, guilt causing his stomach to churn.

"What are you planning to do about this, Arthur?" Francis asked after a pause.

"That's what I wanted to discuss. Now that I've had the opportunity to personally explain what is going on, I was hoping that we could talk about our retaliation with the rest of my Royal Deck."

France nodded. "Of course." He held out a blue hand towards his Queen and she took it gently. They walked hand in hand towards the table while Switzerland trailed a step behind.

Arthur sighed heavily and turned to Alfred, face tired. Alfred looked at him sideways and tried not to show his inner turmoil as the Spades Queen studied his expression.

"I know it's shocking," Arthur said softly, meeting Alfred's blue eyes with his own bright green. "But it's the truth, I swear. You believe me, don't you? Even though you are a Heart?"

Alfred shrugged hopelessly. "Me being from Hearts doesn't really have to do with anything at this point, Arthur," he pointed out. He purposefully ignored the whole 'being a Heart' part. "This is…a new twist on things, if you get what I mean."

"I do." Arthur bit his lip. "But- you- you do believe me, correct?"

"About the Wild Card and the Alliance?" Alfred tilted his head, confused. "'Course. Why wouldn't I?"

Arthur's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I just thought- with you being from Hearts- that you would take their side. And that you wouldn't believe my word."

Alfred let out a huffed breath. "Don't be stupid. Just because I'm from Hearts doesn't mean I can't recognize the truth when I see it."

Some of the color returned to Arthur's face. "Alfred-"

"_But_," Alfred interrupted. "That doesn't mean I'm completely on your side either."

The relief disappeared and was replaced with annoyance. "What are you saying?" Arthur asked, eyes going hard.

"Oh, c'mon, don't get all mad at me again," Alfred said with exasperation. "You would do the same thing with Diamonds if put in the same situation. So don't immediately label Hearts as an enemy or evil- or whatever you see them as these days- just because they're going against you. I bet you wouldn't do anything different if your enemy had the Wild Card."

Arthur blinked, shock breaking through his previous anger. "I- I hadn't thought of that before."

"Yeah, well." Alfred made a face at him and thought back to what the Ace had said about him being King of Spades. "That's why you need people like me around to give you different opinions and stuff."

"Naturally," Arthur said wryly. "Because you have all of the answers."

"Who knows?" Alfred grinned mischievously at him. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Or maybe-"

"Alright, wise guy, you made your point." Arthur turned and wrapped a hand around Matthew's wrist once more. He led the Diamond back over to Alfred and said, "Would you keep an eye on him? He won't be very responsive for a bit, but someone does need to make sure he won't fall over."

Alfred grasped Matthew's sleeve and looked his twin up and down curiously. "Why's he acting all weird?"

"Absent minded, you mean?" Arthur said with raised eyebrows. "It's just a side effect of the spell. All of his energy is going into producing the images of Francis and the other two, so he has limited amounts to spend on moving his own body at the moment."

Alfred eyed Matthew warily. "He won't stay like this though? Can he even hear what we're saying?"

"Of course he can hear you!" Arthur scoffed. "He just has a restrictive amount of energy to spend on reacting to whatever it is you are saying. Actually, he's probably annoyed that we're talking about him right in front of his nose."

Alfred laughed. "Probably. But he agreed to it." He reached over to poke his brother's cheek.

"That doesn't mean you get to take advantage of him," Arthur said and slapped Alfred's hand away from Matthew's face. "Now, behave. Remember what I said before."

"Yeah, yeah, no talking or anything unless spoken to, I get it. I'll be quiet."

"Good. Let's go."

Arthur began to head back towards the table and Alfred followed, pulling Matthew along with him.

"Oh," Arthur turned around. "By the way, are you wearing glasses?"

-o0o-

Toris hated to admit it, but he kind of agreed with Alfred: the plans the nobles were coming up with really sucked.

He could see the look of incredulity on Alfred's face out of the corner of his eye with every idea brought up to the table. Should they attack Hearts before Hearts and Clubs could attack Spades? Alfred's face clearly said no, they would get crushed before crossing No-Man's-Land. What about waiting to see if Hearts and Clubs would openly declare the Alliance? They could be bluffing, correct? Alfred clenched his hands into fists at that suggestion, so that must mean Hearts didn't bluff about serious issues like that. Then, what about sending people to negotiate? Perhaps a peace treaty of some sort?

"No," the Queen injected before Toris could glance at Alfred once more. "We've already tried to negotiate. So far the meetings have been…tense, to put it in light terms. I doubt the Hearts Triumvirate would listen to us now."

"You are not leaving many options for us, Your Majesty," said a stiff looking male somewhere down the table.

The Queen narrowed his eyes. "There aren't many options available in the first place," he snapped.

"If we had a better idea of what the enemy wanted-" someone else spoke up.

"We know what they want! The want the Wild Card of course!" an angry middle aged man cried.

"But why?" This was aimed specifically towards the Spades Triumvirate. "Why do they want this Wild Card creature? I, personally, have never heard of it before, so why then would Hearts and Clubs think Spades is in possession of it?"

"The Wild Card is not an 'it'," the Jack of Spades said, standing to the right of the Queen. "The Wild Card is a person, not a creature or an animal. A person. He or she can be anyone, even someone in this room."

There was a stretch of silence. Everyone was glancing at each other with guarded eyes and Toris felt dread start to grow inside of him. He looked at Alfred but the teenager was staring at the Jack with a set jaw. If he felt Toris' gaze he didn't show it.

"Still," the woman shifted in her seat as she spoke. "If this…person, is here in Spades how did we not know?"

"He, or she, is impossible to track. The Numbers won't be aware of his presence until he makes himself known. And even then we are not sure if we would be able to keep tabs on him," the Queen admitted.

"The Jokers," the King of Diamonds spoke up as he folded his arms. "They must have said something."

"The Jokers?" someone repeated.

"The Jokers know nearly everything that goes on in the Kingdoms," the Queen of Diamonds explained. "They- they told us that the Wild Card existed, of course, but never which Kingdom the Wild Card resided in."

"So if Hearts and Clubs are under the impression that Spades has the Wild Card," the Jack of Diamonds picked up where his sister stopped. "The Jokers must have told them. It is unlikely that Hearts would form an Alliance with Clubs based on rumors."

"Did the Jokers not tell the Diamond or Spades Triumvirates?" asked a balding man in the back.

"No," both the Queen of Spades and King of Diamonds said together.

"The Jokers have not spoken to either of us in quite some time," the Jack of Spades clarified as the other two glared at each other. "As far as I know, the Jokers have not told us about the location of the Wild Card."

"And why not?" said the bald man again. "Aren't the Jokers supposed to tell you these things?"

"Not always." The Diamond Queen's eyes darkened. "They only tell us what they think we need to know."

"The Jokers are taking sides?!" a younger female with short black hair hissed.

"The Jokers," said a familiar voice. "Don't take sides."

All eyes turned towards the door and there stood Greece, Spades Royal Deck member Number Four. He gave the group a small smile which grew when he saw Alfred and Toris sitting together.

"Heracles," Queen England said, managing to sound both thankful and annoyed at the same time. "You are late."

Heracles shrugged. "My apologies."

He didn't sound sorry at all, Toris noted.

The Queen just sighed. "Just come in. There is a chair near the end-"

"If you don't mind, I would like to sit in between them." He pointed at Alfred and Toris.

"If it's not a bother," Heracles added when Queen England hesitated.

The nobles were starting to stare at the Queen when he finally said, "Sit wherever you like. It doesn't matter."

"Thank you." Heracles lifted the chair a nearby servant handed him and brought it over. Alfred and Toris had to move their own chairs over to make room for him. He nodded to Toris and Toris grinned, happy to see his friend after so long.

The Jack of Spades cleared his throat and the attention of the group shifted to him. "As Greece was saying, the Jokers do not take sides," he said slowly. "They must have a reason why they did not tell us."

"So. How are you since we last talked?" Heracles whispered to Alfred.

Alfred glowered at him and pointedly pressed his lips together. He wasn't saying anything, Toris thought with amusement. What had the Queen said to him to make him stay silent?

"You said the Jokers do not take sides," the same person said again. "Yet I hear no reason why they have given us the disadvantage."

"Well, if you look at the whole picture, we are the ones with the advantage," Queen England pointed out. "According to them, we have the Wild Card. That automatically gives us power over the other Kingdoms."

"But if we cannot find this Wild Card and learn how to use this strange advantage he gives us to its full potential, we have nothing," came a voice from down the table. Toris winced inwardly and wished he knew the names of the Royal Deck better.

"What can the Wild Card even do? If we don't know how to use this advantage thing there's no point in trying to find it-"

"I agree. Do we even know the Wild Card exists? There's no proof. The whole thing sounds like a myth to me-"

Everyone began shouting at each other, raising their voices in a vain attempt to be heard over all of the others. Toris leaned back, astounded by the sudden wall of noise.

Toris felt rather than heard the Spades Queen slam his hands down on the table; his own hands shook from the vibrations.

"_ENOUGH!_" the Queen of Spades roared and the nobles fell silent.

"Holy Ace, stop arguing for one minute, will you?" He glared at the rest of the table. "It does not matter whether you believe the Wild Card is real or a myth- it won't change the fact that there is a very real threat to the Spades and Diamond Kingdoms today! The Wild Card only matters if we can somehow find him- or her, I really don't care at this point- and prove to Hearts and Clubs that we have no intention of using his power against them. And since we do not know who, where, or what the Wild Card is, we shouldn't waste our time trying to figure out if this person exists or not."

There was silence. Toris cast a nervous glance at Heracles but the noble looked utterly at ease, sitting slumped in his chair, hands folded in his lap. Toris couldn't see Alfred.

"Heracles," Queen England turned to him. "Will you take on the task of researching the Wild Card? Any more information you may find on him would be extremely useful."

Heracles lips twitched, as if laughing at a secret joke. But he sounded genuine when he answered, "I will do my best."

"Good. Thank you." The Queen nodded his thanks.

"I will ask my people to do more research as well," King France added.

"In the meantime, we should try to come up with a defense plan," the Jack of Spades suggested. "We need to be prepared to fight Hearts and Clubs if they decide to use a suprise attack tactic."

The Diamonds Queen said, "In that case we should send additional spies to figure out when and where they're going to attack."

"That way we might also gain information on what they know about the Wild Card," her brother spoke up from her side.

There were nods of agreement from around the table, much to Toris' relief. He had been worried that they might never choose a course of action.

"Does that sound like a good enough starting plan to everyone?" Queen England addressed the nobles. "Send spies into Hearts and Clubs, do more research on the Wild Card and create some defensive strategies?"

"Everyone in favor, raise your hand," Jack China called out. All of the nobles raised their hands.

"Excellent," the Queen of Spades said. "Finalizations will be discussed at a later point, and in smaller groups. If anyone wishes to discuss anything with me personally, please come find me later in the day in my room. Until then you are dismissed."

There were some grumbling, but the nobles slowly filtered out of the Throne Room. Toris stayed where he was, unsure of what to do. Heracles was muttering to Alfred, speaking too quietly for Toris to understand anything, and Alfred quickly cut him off, practically hissing in a clearly venomous tone.

"I have to present this plan to my Royal Deck as well," King France was saying to Queen England. "But we shouldn't have any trouble."

"Yes, well, it's too general to cause much opposition," the Queen said.

The King shrugged. "It's still something."

"Thank you for informing us of the Alliance," his Queen said, rising from her seat to join the two.

"Of course. In fact I will probably be messaging you a lot more from now on." Queen England let out a heavy sigh.

"I would expect nothing else." The King of Diamonds paused. He shot a look at Canada, who was still sitting next to Alfred and was staring at the empty table with a glazed expression. Toris himself didn't feel all that comfortable with whatever spell the Queen had placed on the Diamond; Alfred's twin looked dead to the world.

"How is my dear Matthew?" King France asked in a low tone.

"He's fine," Queen England assured him with a wave of his hand. "It's just the spell I placed on him in order to contact you. He'll be a bit tired after I cut the bond but I promise you it won't have caused him any harm."

King France nodded. "In that case, we should probably take our leave. I still have to address my Royal Deck and I'm sure you will be busy in the next few hours."

"Undoubtedly. I will let you know if anything else comes up."

"Tell me if you learn any more about the Wild Card."

"I will," the Queen of Spades promised. "Alfred, bring Canada over."

Toris glanced at the teenager, only to find that he was still arguing with Heracles in hushed tones.

Queen England looked over his shoulder, and his expression turned annoyed. "Alfred!"

"Wha-?" his head shot up.

"Bring Canada over here so I can end the spell!"

"Oh, right." He scrambled to stand and Toris bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling.

"Here you go," Alfred said as he gently pulled his twin to where the Diamond Triumvirate stood besides the Queen and Jack of Spades.

"Thank you," Queen England said dryly.

"No problem, Your Majesty," Alfred retorted, sounding just as sarcastic. The Queen narrowed his green eyes but the King of Diamonds chuckled.

"Still as lively as ever, Alfred Jones?" There was a twinkle in his blue eyes that had not been there during the length of the entire meeting.

"Yeah. Still here and kicking." Alfred gave him a half smile.

"Alfred-" Queen England started to say sharply but King France's full out laugh cut him off.

"Please, Arthur, there is no need to chastise him. It is good to know that there are still those out there with spirit."

"Hm." The Queen of Spades huffed. "Still. Alfred, hold your brother."

"Uh- alright."

Toris twisted in his seat to watch as Alfred grasped Canada by the arms.

"Goodbye Francis," Queen England said as he lay a hand on Canada's forehead. "Lili, Vash." He nodded towards the two.

"I will see you soon, Arthur. Take care of Matthew for me," was King France's last words.

"I will."

Queen England's hand glowed blue and the three figures dissipated into the air. At the same time, Canada crumpled and Alfred almost buckled under the unexpected weight.

"Holy-" he swore and Toris ran over to his side. Together they pulled Canada to his feet.

"I thought you said he would be fine!" Alfred said, scowling at the Queen.

"And he is!" the Queen said. "Look, he is waking up now."

And sure enough, Canada was blinking his eyes, weakly trying to stand.

"Al?" he murmured when he saw his brother.

"Hey Mattie." Alfred grinned down at him. "How're you feeling?"

Canada's head lolled to the side. "Uh. Tired."

Alfred laughed.

"You did not tell me that you had a brother, Jack of Hearts."

Everyone turned to see Heracles rise from his seat. He raised his eyebrows at Alfred, seeming innocent, but Toris could tell there was a hidden smile in the mischievous look.

Alfred glowered. "I had no reason to tell you."

"Alfred, stop being so rude!" the Queen said.

"It is fine, Your Highness," Heracles said as he neared. "The Heart can address me as he likes; I bear no ill will towards him."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Now, you wish to know more about the Wild Card?"

Toris did not miss the way Alfred stiffened at the mention of the mysterious being and he cast the teenager a curious glance. Alfred did not look at him, and Canada just rested his head on his brother's shoulder, seeming to not notice anything amiss.

"Yes!" the Queen exclaimed.

"Anything new you discover will be very useful," the Jack of Spades intervened.

"Whatever I learn about the Wild Card from this point on is what you wish to know?" Heracles spoke carefully, as if to tiptoe around some forbidden topic.

The Queen and Jack shared a confused look.

"Yes, that is what I said," Jack China said slowly.

"Excellent. I can do that for you," Heracles said.

"I must admit, you confuse me at times, Heracles," the Queen said. He looked at the noble with bemusement.

Heracles shrugged. "I try. Now, I have some researching to do and I must part here if I am to get anything done. Your Majesty, Jack of Spades-" he bowed.

"Thank you, Heracles," the Queen moved forward and squeezed the other's shoulder.

He nodded. Then he turned to Alfred, Canada and Toris. There was a strange gleam in his eye as he addressed the trio.

"Jack of Hearts, I hope to see you soon."

Alfred made a face. "We'll see."

There was a sigh and out of the corner of his eye Toris saw the Queen pinch the bridge of his nose.

Heracles let out a low chuckle. "Do come see me soon, I enjoy our conversations." He smiled at Toris. "It is good to see you too, Toris. We should talk more."

"We should," Toris agreed. He liked Heracles, even though the man sometimes made his head spin in circles. "Maybe I'll stop by to help you with your research sometime."

Heracles laughed again. "Wouldn't that be something," he said with a sincere grin. "Until then."

He bowed once more and left.

"Your Highness," the Jack of Spades spoke up. "We should go as well."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." The Queen ran a hand through his blond hair. "There's so much to do."

"First, rest," the Jack said firmly. "You cannot think straight with so little sleep."

"I will, I will. Just let me speak to Toris for a moment, and I promise I will go straight to bed."

"Good." The Jack took a step backwards. "I will find you once you have rested."

He then parted too, not pausing to look at the other three.

"Alfred." The Queen gave the teenager a sullen look as soon as the Jack had left. Alfred winced.

"I'm sorry. Heracles just- I don't know, he makes me mad sometimes," he finished in a mutter and the Queen raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.

"Hmm," he said.

"Hey, I listened to you!" Alfred protested. "I didn't speak or anything during the entire meeting!"

"I suppose you're right," the Queen said grudgingly. "Good for you, Alfred, you know how to follow orders."

"I do my best," Alfred said and the Queen smiled slightly. The sight warmed Toris' heart; somehow Alfred had managed to crawl inside of the Queen's heart just as he had done with so many others, himself included.

"Go to sleep, Alfred." The Queen reached out and brushed some of Alfred's bangs out of his face. "You look dead on your feet."

"Thanks for the compliment," Alfred said with a laugh. "How about this: I'll go to bed if you go to bed."

"I already told Yao I would do that."

"Yeah, but you didn't mean it."

"Is that so? How would you know?"

Alfred shrugged. "I could just tell. But seriously, Arthur, go to bed. You really need it."

"I will if you will," the Queen repeated back to him.

"Sure." Alfred held out his hand. "Shake on it."

"Really?" the Queen said.

"Really. I won't believe you unless you promise me."

The Queen rolled his eyes but took Alfred's hand. They shook once and let go.

"Take your brother somewhere he can sleep as well," the Queen told Alfred. "He needs to rest for a bit. It may be a while before he is fully aware."

"Will do."

"And, Toris-" the Queen turned. "Make sure Alfred does what he is told."

"Hey!" Alfred cried.

"Of course, Your Highness." Toris smiled. "I always do."

"Thank you. I will ask to speak to you later, about Clubs. We may need your knowledge for our spies."

"Whenever you need me, I will be there," Toris promised.

"I will go then. Until later- Alfred, Toris, Canada." He nodded to them, looking more tired than ever, cast one more glance at Alfred who gave him a reassuring smile, and turned away.

"You are turning into my babysitter, you realize that?" Alfred said to Toris once the Queen had closed the door.

"It seems that way," Toris agreed, lips twitching.

It was quiet for a moment as they stood, supporting Canada who had passed out sometime ago.

Alfred cleared his throat. "Toris…" his voice had turned serious.

Confusion and concern flashed through Toris. "Alfred? What is it? What's wrong?"

Alfred moved away, pulling Canada off of Toris, and placed his brother gently in a chair. When he turned back around, his expression was alarmingly grave.

"You know how you said I could trust you?" he asked.

"I-" Toris was caught off guard. "Yes. Of course I do. Why? Is there something you need?"

Alfred took a deep breath. "Toris. I am going to tell you something. But you have to promise not to speak a word to anyone about what I've said."

"I don't understand. What are you going to tell me that I don't already know?"

"The truth. About myself, about the war, about the Wild Card. I'm going to tell you everything."

-o0o-

"Be brave and fearless to know that even if you make a bad decision, you're making it for a good reason."

Adele


	19. Chapter 16, Spades Castle

**1/23/2014**

**Another chapter done! Yay! Thank you everyone for the **continuous** support for this story; it means more to me than any of you know!**

**I do not own Hetalia. Beta'd by waterbringer.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

Alfred wasn't expecting to overhear top secret Spades plans while passing the Queen's Room that day, but that's exactly what happened.

"-send our spies to_ Clubs_-"

Alfred stopped short, looked sideways at the slightly open door. What was that?

"-would need to train them-"

That was Arthur. Did he even know the door was open?

The mutterings continued. Alfred chewed on his bottom lip. He shouldn't be considering this, but the idea was really tempting. And no one was around, so...

He silently inched closer to the door and listened.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Jack's Study_

"Come in," Yao Wang answered sharply to the insistent knocking on the door. He sounded annoyed to his own ears, he thought grimly. He waited until he had finished writing the last sentence of his report before lifting his eyes to see who had shuffled in.

His impatient expression only soured more when he saw the Jack of Hearts standing there awkwardly. The teenager looked uncomfortable in the open doorway, almost as if he didn't want to be there.

"What do you want?" Yao asked crisply and turned back to his report. Out of all the people he didn't want to talk to at the moment, it had to be Alfred Jones at his door. "And please be quick- I have somewhere to be in ten minutes."

"I need to ask you for a favor," Jones said, his voice sounding strained.

Yao held back a bark of laughter.

"Really." He added a comma. "And what is it that you could possibly want from me? Why not ask the Queen instead? I don't think he would begrudge you anything."

"I can't talk to Arthur about this," Jones said to Yao's surprise. "He would never agree to it. Plus he might add more guards to keep an eye on me if I ever brought it up."

Well. Wasn't this interesting? Apparently there were some things that even 'precious' Alfred couldn't get the Queen to do.

"And you think that I will agree to what the Queen won't?" He looked up at the blond and raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Jones admitted.

"This sounds like a lot to risk on a 'maybe', Jones. What if I tell the Queen what you've asked for?"

Jones visibly flinched at Yao's words but quickly recovered. He said with firm confidence, "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

This was getting more intriguing by the second. Yao put his quill down and shifted his report to the side to dry. He then carefully regarded the Heart standing before him, trying to decide what to do.

"Alright," he said finally. "I will hear you out. But don't think that I won't tell Arthur what you have said."

Jones swallowed, but nodded. Yao gestured for him to close the door and ordered, "Please, sit."

Jones took the seat opposite Yao on the other side of the desk. He fidgeted for a whole minute before Yao said irritably, "Well? What is it you want from me?"

"I want to go to Clubs with the rest of your spies!" Jones blurted out, the words flying out of his mouth so fast that Yao barely understood them.

For a moment, Yao was stunned into silence.

"What?" he said once he found his voice.

"I- er-" Jones' face was rapidly turning red. "-I overheard you and Arthur speaking the other day. You were discussing a plan to send more spies to Clubs to learn the details of the Alliance with Hearts. And- and I want to go with them."

Yao stared at him. He couldn't be serious. It was ridiculous that Jones had even overheard the conversation in the first place- he and Arthur had been in the Queen's Private Study, for Ace's sake! Did Arthur set _any_ limits with this boy?- but to have the audacity to ask to be part of those overheard plans? What made Jones think Yao would agree to this?!

"No," he said shortly and Jones immediately opened his mouth to protest.

"If you just hear me out-"

"No."

"Oh, c'mon! I promise I have a good reason-"

"No."

"_Please_-"

"_No_!" Yao finally snapped, abandoning his calm demeanor. "No means no, Jones! Absolutely not!"

"Why won't you at least let me explain myself?" Jones cried.

"Because you are insane!" Yao snarled. He resisted standing up to pace. "As if I would agree to something so stupid-"

"But-" Jones tried again.

"First of all," Yao spoke loudly over the other's attempts to defend himself. "You should have never heard of those plans. They are top secret and your ability to avoid punishment continues to both baffle and annoy me to an extreme degree. Second of all, Arthur might just kill me. I think that alone is enough explanation."

No wonder Jones hadn't gone to the Queen. Arthur wouldn't hear of putting the Heart in danger, political reasons aside.

That is, if Arthur even considered the political reasons. More often than not Arthur treated Jones like a regular Spade instead of the Jack of their Kingdom's main enemy. It happened enough to drive Yao mad. Why couldn't Arthur see the threat this teenager represented?!

"I knew you wouldn't agree right away," Jones began to say and Yao snorted. "_But_, I also know that I can convince you otherwise."

"I highly doubt that," Yao said flatly. "This discussion is not open to negotiation-"

"What if I offered you the one thing you want more than anything in the universe?"

"And what do you know about what I want?" Jones had nothing to offer Yao that might remotely interest him. Literally, nothing. Yao had no idea why he was even entertaining the idea.

"I can promise you to stay away from the Queen and Spades' political affairs!" Jones said, staring into Yao's eyes intensely.

Yao raised his eyebrows even higher than before. What did Jones mean by that? "Explain."

"Well, I, uh, promised Arthur that I would stay in Spades," Jones said as he ran a hand through choppy gold bangs. "So I can't tell you that I'll be out of your hair completely. But you can send me away to some remote town in the middle of the countryside or something without telling anybody. And then you could tell Arthur that you have no idea where I've gone, you just know I've kept my word to not leave this Kingdom."

"And this would benefit me because…?"

"Because I wouldn't be around to bother you, or to distract Arthur anymore. Isn't that something you've always wanted?"

Yao ignored the bait, saying, "What's to stop me from sending you away right now? Why should I wait for you to return from Clubs, assuming I let you go?"

Jones' eyes flashed. "I'll tell Arthur before you get the chance."

"If you tell Arthur then you won't be able to use this as a bargaining chip," Yao countered.

Jones scowled, obviously starting to get annoyed. "Listen, China, there are two ways this conversation can go right now. The first: you don't let me go to Clubs, I tell Arthur about the idea of sending me away, and he never lets me out of his sight again. You'll be stuck with me until Arthur decides to get rid of me."

He paused for effect. Yao's smirk had dropped. For personal reasons unknown to Yao, Arthur would never, as Jones put it, 'get rid of him'.

"The second option: you let me go to Clubs. I come back from Clubs. You send me away and you never have to deal with me bothering you, or Arthur, ever again."

Yao pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you actually _want _to be sent away? You seem determined to make a very convincing argument."

Jones' satisfied smile fell away and he stared down at his hands in his lap. "No," he mumbled. "'Course not. I love it here."

Yao blinked, surprised at the comment.

"But-" Jones looked up, eyes hard. "-I need to go to Clubs. I told you before, it's worth the risk."

That wasn't exactly what the teenager had said, but Yao let it pass without comment. Instead, he asked suspiciously, "Why is it worth the risk?"

"I want to know what my friends have been up to while I've been gone." Jones glared at him. "And I know that I won't know the complete and whole truth that your spies learn unless I'm directly involved somehow."

"You are assuming that I want you gone more then I value the safety of my Kingdom," Yao said after a moment had passed. "Frankly, I don't trust you enough to send you off with my soldiers to a place where I can't keep an eye on you. You could turn all of them over to Clubs and I wouldn't even know. You could kill them when their backs are turned. And getting you 'out of my hair' is not worth my men's lives."

"You can put a spell on me to connect me to another person," Jones suggested. "I wouldn't be able to move a specific distance from that person- a distance determined by him or her. One word from the castor or the person I'm connected to and I won't be able to move at all."

Yao frowned. "How do you know a spell like that exists?"

"Let's just say that I had a lot of free time in Hearts." A strange emotion clouded Jones' blue gaze but was gone before Yao could put a name to it.

He felt an odd urge to question Jones, to know why he had reacted so to such an innocent statement. Immediately he squished the feeling, his right hand clenching into a fist. He would not make the mistake of becoming sympathetic towards the Heart as Arthur had done. Jones was still an enemy, no matter how naive he acted.

To Jones, Yao simply said, "Would you let me study the spell to determine if what you are saying is true or not?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't see why not. It's just a matter of finding it somewhere in the Spades Castle Library." Jones scratched the back of his head. "I'm not lying to you or anything, I swear."

"I do not think you are lying," Yao said, startling himself when he realized the truth of the statement. "I just want to make sure it is safe to use. And that I'll be able to perform the spell correctly when the time comes."

Jones perked up. "Does that mean you're letting me go?"

"No," he said and Jones pouted. "Just because I can do the spell doesn't mean that I will. I still don't see the value in sending you to Clubs, even if you are kept in check by this outlandish spell. I wasn't joking before when I said Arthur would kill me. If you somehow get hurt-"

"Arthur doesn't have to know I'm going; he doesn't know where I am most of the time anyways. There's a reason why I went to you and not him."

This time Yao felt a flicker of annoyance; self-assured brat. He thought he knew all of the answers, didn't he?

"Arthur would find out eventually," Yao said with irritation. "He is not half as blind as you make him out to be."

"Not until I'm gone, he wouldn't find out."

"And if he finds out before then?"

"Then I still want to go to Clubs. If I keep my word and have to leave the Capitol, I expect that you'll keep yours and somehow find a way to send me to Clubs without Arthur stopping you."

"You expect a lot from me," Yao said testily.

Jones smiled, but it looked oddly bitter. "You're a Jack in a Kingdom with no King. If you can help co-manage Spades _and_ keep Arthur in check, I don't think you'll have too much trouble with this."

Was that a compliment or a challenge? Yao wasn't sure. Maybe it was a little of both.

"That is still not enough for me to let you go to Clubs, Jones," he said out loud and straightened in his chair. "So, unless you have some other way to convince me to risk everything I value-"

"I'll tell you everything I know about Hearts!"

The statement was desperate, cried out in a moment of extreme need, but it was enough to stop Yao short.

"You will do _what_?" he asked, just to make sure he had heard right.

"I'll tell you everything I know about Hearts," Jones repeated. Yao expected hesitation- uneasiness, even- at such an offer, but Jones only sounded more certain than the first time.

"You will tell me what Hearts knows about the Wild Card?" Yao asked.

"Huh?" Jones looked caught off guard. "No. I mean, I'll tell you everything we knew about it before I came here, but there's really nothing new. I was taken before the Jokers told the Wild Card identity to my King and Queen, remember?"

"Yes, of course." Yao chewed on his bottom lip, pondering the offer.

Even without the knowledge on the Wild Card, Jones' proposition wasn't something to be taken lightly. If Jones meant what he said, Yao could learn valuable information about Hearts' lands and weapons. That knowledge in turn could change the outcome of the war. Jones was willing to sacrifice his Kingdom's future just to go to Clubs with some of Spades' spies? But why? No Jack would have even considered putting his Kingdom at such risk. So that must mean…

"You must be very desperate if you are willing to do this," he told Jones. "Why do you want to go to Clubs so badly?"

"I'll even train your men how to best fight against Hearts soldiers if you want," Jones said as if Yao hadn't spoken at all. "I swear to all four Aces that I'll answer all of your questions to the best of my ability. But you _have_ to let me train and go with your spies to Clubs."

"And that's the only thing you want?" Yao was utterly baffled by now.

Jones nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

Yao pressed his hand to his cheek and sat back, staring at the Hearts teenager. Inside his head he weighed his options, trying to see if there was a downside to going along with Jones' plan.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," he said. "You wish to train alongside Spades and Diamonds spies as they prepare for a mission to infiltrate Clubs Castle. Their purpose: to learn about the Clubs-Hearts Alliance. All the while, you will be magically bound to another Spades soldier until the mission has been completed."

He looked at Jones for confirmation.

"Yes," Jones said.

"You will know everything that our spies learn. However, in return you must reveal all of Hearts' secrets, a betrayal to your own Kingdom, and you will be sent away from Spades Capitol Town, the only place you've known and made friends in since arriving in Spades. And you are fully aware that the result of all of this may cause Hearts to lose the war."

"_Yes_," Jones said a second time.

"What kind of Jack are you?" Yao said, shaking his head.

Jones paused for a moment before saying, "A desperate one."

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- spare guest bedroom_

"What did he say?" was the first thing Toris asked when Alfred entered the room.

Alfred walked towards him slowly and said, sounding almost in awe, "He said yes."

Toris scrambled down the ladder, ran over to him and grasped his shoulders with both hands. "You're going to Clubs?"

Alfred nodded numbly and Toris let out a loud whoop before hugging him enthusiastically.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Toris asked with a laugh after releasing the teenager. "You said you were going to get him to let you go no matter what."

"I know. But- I mean." Alfred still looked shell-shocked. "I guess I still expected him to say no? The guy _hates_ me, Toris. Why should he let me have what I want?"

"Speaking of which, how _did_ you get him to let you go?"

Alfred shrugged. "I used everything I had to offer to convince him. I pulled all the stunts, if you get what I'm saying." He frowned as he remembered how stressful the whole experience had been. Despite his confidence, he had been terrified that China would turn him away.

"But?" Toris prompted.

"But, in the end, it wasn't me who managed to convince him," Alfred said with a sigh.

"If not you, then who was it?" Toris asked, sounding confused.

Alfred looked at him sideways. "The Jokers," he admitted quietly.

Toris' eyes flew open wide and Alfred almost laughed at the expression on his face.

"The Jokers interrupted you in the middle of your meeting with the Jack?" Toris asked with disbelief.

"No, 'course not." Alfred shook his head. "They would never do that in a million years. Apparently Sealand- that's the smaller, blond haired one I was telling you about-" not that Toris would know the difference meeting either of the Jokers face to face anyways, but, "- he visited China in a dream a few nights ago. Or that's what China told me, at least."

"Can they do that?" Toris' brow furrowed.

Alfred hadn't thought of that. "I guess. I don't know what Joker magic does exactly, but I wouldn't put it past them. Besides, I don't see why China would lie to me about this; Sealand basically told China to let me have whatever I was going to ask him for in the near future. But even with the Jokers' support, I don't think China was just going to give me permission to go to Clubs until I offered the information about Hearts. It was only after that when he started taking me seriously."

"And you're still planning on giving him all of that information?" Toris said carefully.

"Yeah. It's the only way he'll let me go," Alfred said sulkily. "We even signed an agreement on paper and everything." China was a paranoid moron when he wanted to be.

"Are you sure the trip is worth it?" Toris looked genuinely concerned for him. "You really don't have to go-"

"I have to go, Toris," Alfred interrupted firmly. "It's not optional for me. I need to know what Clubs and Hearts are going to do to get me back so I know how to stop them, if necessary. Plus it'll be better for me if I know how much Spades and Diamonds learn about the Wild Card while they're in Clubs. I won't get the information any other way."

Toris nodded solemnly and Alfred let out a long breath. It had been an exhausting couple of days, and he was more tired than he would have thought possible. Toris and Alfred had begun constructing this cautious plan about the trip a few days ago, almost immediately after the big Clubs-Hearts Alliance reveal meeting. He had tried to think of everything he could use to convince China to let him go with the spies.

After learning about his powers, Alfred honestly had no idea what to do with himself. He had been solely focused on discovering his powers from the moment Prussia spoke to him a couple of days ago. Now that he knew, what was he supposed to do about it? It wasn't like he could talk to anyone about it.

Wow. There was a depressing thought if he ever needed one.

It had been Heracles who managed to convince him to finally tell Toris the truth- in the middle of the Clubs-Hearts Alliance meeting, none the less- about who he was and what he was prophesized to do. Alfred didn't think he would have ever mustered up the courage to do it on his own.

"It might take some of the weight off your shoulders," Heracles had whispered to him. "You won't feel so guilty keeping such a big secret from one of your closer friends if you tell him."

"You want me to tell him everything?!" Alfred had hissed back. "Are you crazy? Toris would hate me for lying to him-!"

"Do not put such little faith in him," Heracles cut in. His eyes were hard. "It's insulting. Toris deserves better, especially from you."

When Alfred finally spoke to Toris after everyone had left, he expected Toris to shun him. At the minimum, Toris would tell Arthur and China what Alfred had said. Toris had surprised him though; the servant listened quietly and intently to Alfred's explanation, never interrupting or showing any sign of anger.

"I thought there was something special about you," Toris said after Alfred had finished.

"You- you're not mad?" Alfred was shocked.

Toris gave him a strange look. "Why would I be mad?"

"I lied to you! I purposefully kept information hidden from you even after you sacrificed everything for me! I'm supposed to end the world; you should be running away from me to go find Arthur right now so you can tell him the truth about me-"

"Alfred, sit down. You look silly pacing back and forth like that," Toris told him. Alfred obeyed, though he did so grudgingly. Toris leaned down next to him.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully," Toris said slowly and Alfred glowered. "I am not going to turn you in. I am not going to shun you. I am not angry at you and I do not hate you. I am only relieved that you finally decided to trust me." He paused. "Do you understand?"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed, exasperated. "Why are you so damn trusting? If you put the same level of trust in everyone as you do in me, you'll get yourself killed! Why don't you just turn me in already?!"

When he finished his breath was ragged and his chest was heaving. Toris reached over and squeezed Alfred's shoulder comfortingly.

He sighed heavily when Alfred gave him a withering look. "I'm not going to turn you in. I've told you that several times and I will not go back on my word now. You are not evil, Alfred, or even remotely bad. You're just a good person with a terrible, unfortunate fate. And before all of that, you are my friend."

He sat back on his heels, smiling gently at Alfred. "And I'm not putting my trust in 'everyone'. I'm putting my trust in _you_."

So, after a lot of convincing by Toris and one mental breakdown later, Alfred was able to accept the fact that there were people out there who would still care about him even after everything he had done or would do in the future. Alfred could only hope that his other friends, Arthur and Matthew especially, would react to the truth similarly.

The next day Alfred had overheard Arthur and China talking about their plans, and Toris had helped him plan out how out to convince China to let him tag along to Clubs. Thank Ace it had all worked out. The only problem now was keeping the whole thing a secret from Arthur.

Speaking of Arthur.

"What about you?" Alfred asked Toris. "How did your meeting go with the Queen?"

Toris rubbed the back of his neck. "Well enough. I explained Clubs weather and the layout of the Castle to the best of my abilities. I have no doubt that he will ask for me again before this week is over. However, there is a complication."

"Oh yeah?" There was always a complication. He wasn't even surprised anymore. Alfred studied his friend's expression, trying to determine just how big of a problem this 'complication' was. "And what is it this time?"

Toris reached into his pocket and pulled out a circular piece of metal the size of a small coin. He placed it in Alfred's outstretched palm. Alfred's first thought was that it was cold. He held the thing up to the light and saw that it was tinted a metallic shade of green. Turning it over in his hand, he frowned at the three leaf clover and letter 'C' engravings on both sides.

"What is it?" he asked after a few seconds.

"They call them Ciphs," Toris said.

"They?" Alfred echoed.

"The Triumvirates."

"Okay," Alfred said slowly. "And what exactly do these, uh, Ciph things do?"

"They bear a Kingdom's influence and allow its carrier to open certain doors within the Castles; a magical key of some sort. All Kingdoms have them, but only the Triumvirates can hand them out to others, mostly to their trusted advisors."

A memory stirred in Alfred's mind and he frowned. "I think Arthur mentioned these to me once. I was asking about the Private Studies and he told me that I could only get into the King's if I had a special chip."* He eyed the Ciph warily. "Do you think this is what he was talking about?" He held the Ciph up for Toris to see.

"I would bet my salary on it," Toris said with a nod. "But you, of course, didn't need it in the end."

"Guess not." He had always been able to get into the King's Private Study without the Ciphs. He stared down at the one in his palm, gaze lingering on the clover symbol. That could only mean one thing- "Why does Arthur have a Clubs Ciph?"

"He wants to know if I can use it again, since I brought it here accidentally when I became a Spade. That way the spies will be able to get into all of the rooms in Clubs. Even the locked ones."

"That's smart," Alfred admitted. "What do you mean by 'again'?"

"Technically only citizens of the Suit can use their type of Ciph." Toris took the Ciph from Alfred and ran his fingers over the engravings with a troubled expression. "Since bringing this to Spades, I have been unable to reactivate it."

"Because you changed Suits?"

"Yes. I am a Spade now; I can't use Club Ciphs anymore."

"But…then there was no point in Arthur giving this to you. You can't do anything with it. That thing is useless in Spades." Unless there was a Club around, this Ciph would be nothing but a circular piece of metal. It wouldn't open any doors in this state. It probably wasn't even worth anything good down at the market.

"Why did he even bother giving it to you?" he asked. "Doesn't he know you can't activate it?"

Toris said carefully, "The Queen gave the Ciph to me in the hope that I could do something with it. He knows the likelihood of my success."

Alfred tried to not to look skeptical and failed. Arthur was more desperate than he thought.

"Don't worry." Toris smiled at him reassuringly. "I have a feeling the Ciph will work in the end."

Alfred raised his eyebrows. "And what makes you think that?"

"After everything you have told me within the last couple of days, I have a strong belief that you will be able to activate this Ciph when I can't."

"Me?" Alfred gaped at him. "You think I can do it? You do realize I've only ever been in Clubs for, like, one night forever ago. _And_ I was kicked out. You've lived there your entire life! Wouldn't you have a better chance-?"

Toris rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "You're the _Wild Card_," he whispered and shoved the Ciph back into the teenager's hands. "If anyone in Spades can activate a Clubs Ciph, it would be you."

He turned away and walked back over to the window where he had been taking down heavy blue curtains. Alfred fumbled with the Ciph for a moment before shoving the thing in the front pocket of his vest. He would give it back to Toris later, he told himself as he hurried over to help.

"I'm not sure exactly what I can and can't do yet," Alfred half grunted as they struggled to drag the curtains off their hooks to a pile on the floor. "I have to go over it a bit more with the Ace."

"I suggest you hurry and talk to her about it then," Toris said. "Because I don't know what to tell Arthur if you can't."

Alfred stayed quiet, mulling over Toris' idea in his head as he helped the servant strip the bedroom bare. He didn't see why he couldn't do it. But he would have to hold onto the Ciph until he could talk to the Ace about it.

After every piece of dusty cloth in the room had been replaced with fresh ones, Alfred and Toris hulled all of the old curtains and bed sheets onto a cart. As they left the spare guest room and went into the hallway, Alfred's guard stood up from where he'd been leaning against the wall a few doors down. He followed after them but kept a good length away from the pair, which made Alfred more relieved than he was willing to admit.

Most of Alfred's guards were like that: waiting outside in the hallway instead of staying in the same room, mirroring his path far away so that they could not hear any of his conversations. It was more than Alfred had dared hope for and he tried to send silent prayers of thanks to Arthur as often as he could.

Alfred and Toris barely managed to hand off the cart to an elder woman in the Clothing Room before they were ambushed by the usual group of babbling teenage girls. In the time Alfred had stayed in the Castle, he had become friends with a large part of the ladies who worked here; many of the girls gave Alfred enthusiastic hugs and others ruffled his hair fondly.

It took a while, but Alfred was eventually able to get a word in.

"Do you guys know where Rica is?" he asked the group.

"I think I saw her in the back," chirped a shorter, blonde haired girl. "Abigail was teaching her how to dye cotton."

Alfred flashed her a bright smile. "Thanks," he said and the girl flushed a bright red.

"I'll be back," he said to Toris and the servant nodded distractedly, already listening to one of the other girl's stories.

He gently disengaged himself from the group and made his way across the floor. There was a closed off section in the far right hand corner and he hesitated before peering around the curtain.

The smell hit him straight on and he pressed a hand over his nose, trying not to gag. But before he could figure out where exactly the smell was coming from, he heard a very loud screech and then Rica was there, hurling herself at him.

Alfred felt his eyes widen and lowered his arms just in time to catch her around the middle. The strength of her hug forced him to stumble backwards but her breathless laughter made him forget the momentary pain. He smiled automatically in response.

"Alfred!" she said with delight when he set her down. "It's so good to see you! I thought you'd forgotten all about me." She faked a pained expression.

"As if I could forget about you!" he scoffed. "Don't be silly." He playfully flicked a finger at her forehead and she let out a startled explanation, hand flying to the spot.

"Don't pick on her, Alfred," came a voice from over Rica's shoulder. Alfred looked up to meet Abigail's amused eyes as she made her way over.

"She really missed you," Abigail finished. "All Rica ever talks about is Alfred this, and Alfred that-"

"I do not!" Rica protested but Alfred couldn't help but notice the light shade of pink dusting her cheeks.

He grinned at them and said, "I meant to thank you before, Abby. I owe you one for taking Rica in and everything."

"Oh, please." Abigail waved her hand at him. "If anything, you owe me for not bringing her in sooner. She's a natural, one of the best. I couldn't be happier teaching her the tools of the trade."

"Well, it's been her dream to work here. When you told me you wanted an assistant I couldn't just let the opportunity slide," Alfred said while Rica sputtered.

"Trust me, I'm glad to help. But, I'll leave you two alone for now. I need to talk to Toris anyways." She patted his shoulder as she passed.

"You, uh, didn't have to help me get this job," Rica said once she was out of earshot. "I'm really not good enough to work in the Castle anyways."

"I _wanted_ to do it, Rica. I told you before, I'll always help you. Just- be happy. Enjoy this, okay? And shut up about not being 'good enough'. You heard what Abby said." He reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, Alfred." She squeezed his hand back.

He beamed, enjoying the feeling of warmth that spread through him. During his experience in Spades, he had grown to love the lively seamstress, though in a completely platonic nature. He saw her as a younger sister of sorts. Getting her to work in the Clothing Room not only made their bond stronger, but it gave him another ally within the Castle. It was a win-win situation, and in the end everyone was happy.

"I have something for you," he said.

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Something for you to work on," he clarified and tried not to laugh at her disappointed expression. "I'll bring you something for fun next time, I promise."

She joked, "I'm going to hold you to that. What do you have for me? Nothing too hard, I hope."

"I wouldn't know- I'm not a seamstress. Here, the Jack told me to give this to one of the ladies here and said that you guys would know what to do." He handed her the note China had written out for him and watched curiously as she broke the seal and scanned the note.

Her chocolate brown eyes widened suddenly. "Alfred," she breathed and glanced up at him. "Is this for real? Are you going to Clubs?"

He gaped at her. "You know about the mission?"

She made an annoyed huffing sound. "Of course I do! We're making all of the spies' clothes and fixing their armor and stuff specifically for this assignment. It says here that I have to make clothes for you now, too!"

"Oh. Well, yeah. I'm going. What's wrong with it?"

"It's a really dangerous job, Alfred! Especially for you, being the Jack of Hearts and all. If you're caught you could be used for money and information and-"

She was becoming more frantic by the second and Alfred frowned at her reaction. Rica had somehow learned of Alfred's 'true' identity shortly after moving into the Castle. He had been surprised when she suddenly ambushed him on his way to the stables one day, but was extremely relieved to know that she wanted to remain friends. She had been more annoyed with him for not telling her sooner than angry about where his real loyalties lay. But at the moment she looked more upset than she had then.

"Technically I'm already being used for leverage," he reminded her.

"Yeah but here you're not being tortured!" she said hysterically.

"Rica. Listen to me, you need to calm down." He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her and waited until she took a few gasp-like breaths. He was kind of touched that she was so worried for him, but she really didn't have to freak out this badly. He knew what he was doing.

"I'm going to be okay," he said. "I can handle myself just fine, alright? You don't have to worry. I'll even visit you again before I leave so you can give me a proper good luck wish and everything."

She avoided his gaze and reached up to rub the corners of her eyes. He chewed on his bottom lip, hating the fact that he was the one making her feel this way.

Very quietly she said, "Promise me you'll come back in one piece and you don't have to bring me anything the next time you visit."

If the question hadn't been so serious he would have laughed. "I promise," he said.

Rica flung herself at him again and hugged him as hard as she could. Not knowing how to respond, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his cheek on top of her head.

"You have to keep this a secret though," he murmured. "Don't let anybody else know that I'm going with the spies."

"Keep it a secret from the Queen, you mean?" she sniffed.

"How'd you know that?" he asked with surprise.

She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "It was in the Jack's note. I swear I'll keep your secret, but please make sure to come back to me and Toris. I don't know how I'll cope if you don't."

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- meadow outside of the King's Private Study_

"It's called a Ciph," Alfred felt compelled to say as the Ace examined the green-tinted metal.

She shot him an amused glance. "I know what it is, Wild."

"So do you know if I can, uh, activate it then?" he asked, using Toris' word.

"You can," she said and he felt a swell of anticipation. "But it will take practice. And training."

Alfred suppressed a groan. "How much training?"

"It depends on how quickly you master your powers. The sooner you learn to control yourself, the sooner you will be able to use this." She held the Ciph between two unnaturally long fingers.

"Do you think I can do it before traveling to Clubs? I'm leaving the Castle in a few days," he added as an afterthought.

"I know; Eleana told me."

Alfred cast a look at the small fairy, who was perched on the Ace's shoulder. She had cast some weird sleeping spell on his nighttime guard, allowing him to sneak out and meet up with the Ace. Eleana smiled at him timidly, like she wanted to give him encouragement but was scared to do so.

"I do wish you had confided in me first before making that decision," she said dryly, forcing his attention back to her.

He scowled and retorted, "You're not my babysitter. I don't need your permission for anything I do. I never have and I never will." He was starting to get over the initial terrifying feeling of her appearance and found himself more aggravated with her attitude than anything.

She didn't strike back at him like he half expected her to. Instead she took a moment to study him, her gaze lingering on his glare and folded arms.

"You will be able to activate the Ciph in time for your mission," she said abruptly.

Alfred was so startled that he dropped his arms. "R-really?"

"Yes. As long as you stay determined in your cause, you should have no trouble making your desire a reality." She extended her hand to him and he took the Clubs Ciph back from her.

"How will I know when the Ciph works?" he asked curiously.

"The Clubs symbol in the center will glow green and the metal will become warm to the touch."

"And you'll help me figure out how to activate it?"

"Yes," she said, tone thoughtful. "It will be good practice for you to learn how to use your powers."

He made a face. "So I guess that means you're following me to the Pentagon?"

The Pentagon, as China had explained to him, was a secret military facility somewhere in the countryside of Spades. The spies of the infiltrating Clubs mission were going there to train before returning to Spades Castle. They would depart to Clubs from there. China had given him very strict instructions on how to get ready to leave for the Pentagon within the next week or so.

"I will not 'follow you'. I am no more your stalker than your babysitter. No, I will simply meet you there. Eleana will travel with you in my place." The Ace reached up to gently nudge the fairy off her shoulder. Eleana flew over to Alfred and circled his head a few times before landing in his outstretched hand. She squeezed the tip of his thumb and beamed at him.

"I do not think this arrangement will cause you trouble," the Ace said and Alfred's lips twitched.

"It won't," he said. He liked Eleana, though he wished he could understand what she was saying. The hand gestures got confusing pretty quickly.

"Excellent. I will see you shortly then."

She started to fade and Alfred cried out, "Wait!"

"Yes?" She came back into focus, eyebrows raised. "Is there something else you wish to discuss before your departure?"

Alfred swallowed nervously and lowered his raised arm. He wasn't sure if he should be asking this of someone he refused to fully trust, but she was the only one who would know the answer to his question.

"You said that Arthur and I were fated to have a United Bond. And that we actually do have some kind of weird echo of that Bond even though I'm not the King. Is- is that-"

It's there he stutters, fumbling over his words like an idiot. He could feel his face heating up, but he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment over his failure to form a proper sentence or because his eyes were starting to sting. It was hard to speak around the painful lump in his throat, but the Ace waited patiently for him to continue.

Alfred took a deep breath. "Is that echo of the United Bond the only reason why Arthur and I are friends? I- I know the two of us have really different personalities and we argue a lot, but I would like to think that our friendship is real and not forced because of some magic spell."

The Ace cocked her head to the side. "You misunderstand what I have told you."

His head jerked up. "What? What are you talking about-?"

"Your understanding of the United Bond seems to be misguided," she clarified. "The United Bond does little to increase the participants' fondness of each other; it only ensures their loyalty. You and my Queen share a natural relationship created by your own interest in one another. To put it simply, the United Bond forces you two to work together while preventing either of you from dying at the other's hand."

Relief, stronger than he would have thought, rushed through him and he felt his knees go weak. It was comforting to know that Arthur subconsciously liked him because of who he was at that moment, and not unconsciously for whom he was meant to be in another life.

"Thank you," he said with feeling to the Ace.

She pursued her lips. "You two have a somewhat strange relationship. I have never seen anything quite like it throughout the duration of the Kingdoms. Your friendship is strong, though you have not spent much time in each other's company. The United Bond has remained intact despite the fact that it should only have been initiated through your crowning as King."

"Maybe we're just special," Alfred joked, thinking back to his very first conversation with Arthur back in Alhliða.

"A Special Relationship** indeed," she said and shook her head with bemusement. "I don't understand humans as well as I used to; it is one of my many regrets that I have fallen out of touch with your kind. Nevertheless, is there anything else you wish to discuss? Or have I laid your fears to rest for the time being?"

"Um. No, we're good. I guess I'll see you soon?" He really didn't want to see the Ace again, but he didn't have the option to refuse her anymore.

"You shall. Have a safe journey. I will meet you there."

She had disappeared completely from his sight before she finished the sentence. He slowly let go of his breath; he always felt odd after talking to the Ace. Like he was stepping out of an ice cold bath or something. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course.

Eleana patted his cheek and he's jerked out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Ready to go?" he asked and she nodded. "Okay. Lead the way then."

She took off into the air, flying across the meadow towards the King's Private Study glass doors. Alfred trailed after her, walking slowly as he studied the Ciph. He would just have to trust the Ace and her belief that he could activate the thing.

He sighed heavily and pocketed the circular piece of metal, willing himself to forget about it for now. He had other problems to worry about, like what to pack for his trip to the Pentagon.

He rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses and started to make a list in his head of things he might need.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Training Area_

This was the last thing Alfred had expected when China called him over.

"Er. Uh, China." Alfred stared down at China's pale hand, which was holding onto his own calloused one. "What are you doing?"

"If you stay quiet for one moment in your life, I will tell you," China said testily.

Alfred shut his mouth with a snap. He waited for China to explain, but the Jack continued to remain silent.

"So are you going to enlighten me or what-" he began to say.

"Amuls!" China called out, interrupting Alfred.

Alfred started at the name and followed China's gaze to the small group of armored men standing a little ways off. He spotted Simon even from this distance; the guard's head looked like a mini sun with the way the moonlight reflected off his short cut hair.

Alfred felt his stomach twist uncomfortably as Simon made his way through the crowd and started to walk towards them. He knew what was going on now.

Simon stopped a few steps away and saluted China. "Sir. You asked for me?"

Holy Ace, Alfred thought. The guy was still spouting the word 'sir' like it was a blessing.

"Yes. Come here." China beckoned with his free hand and Simon inched closer, hesitant.

"Give me your hand," China instructed.

"May I ask why, sir?" Simon held out his left hand even as he eyed Alfred's occupied one.

"I have decided that you will be the guard lined to the Jack of Hearts," China told him.

Alfred guessed the other spies had been briefed on the whole 'linking spell' part of the deal by the way Simon's face crumpled.

"I have a name, you know," he said to China. "and its not 'Jack of Hearts'."

The Jack of Spades ignored him, as usual.

"Why me?" Simon asked. Alfred noticed that he looked kind of sick, especially under the glow from the moon.

"You are one of his current guards, regardless of how little time you have spent in that occupation. You know how he acts, the way he moves, facial expressions…you're the most well-equipped person for this job."

"I'm right here," Alfred pointed out, starting to get annoyed now.

Simon nodded but he was obviously miserable. Alfred knew the feeling.

"If it's any help," he spoke directly to Simon this time. "I don't want this any more than you do. Even less, probably."

Simon glared at him, starting to snarl something but China cut him off before he could get anything out.

"Keep your hand in front of you," the Jack of Spades ordered Alfred. He raised their entwined hands level with Alfred's collarbone and let go. Alfred kept his hand hovering as told.

"Amuls, place your left hand on top of his- yes, just like that. Jones, your left comes next. Then Amuls' right-"

He took a step back and examined their stacked hands. "That looks right. Now neither of you can move your hands until the spell is complete, otherwise this will not work. And I do not know the consequences of breaking the spell midway." He glanced at both of them in turn. "Do not speak and do not move until I tell you, regardless of what happens. Are you ready?"

No, Alfred thought with a thrill of fear. But China was already muttering under his breath and Alfred's hands were starting to tingle with what he knew to be magic. There was nothing he could do now but wait.

Alfred didn't know what he had been expecting. The book he had learned the spell from hadn't described how the actual forming of the spell looked. So he waited, heart clenching, for an explosion or bright flash or something to that effect.

What he got was something completely different.

As China continued the spell, small strings of blue light snaked its way from between Simon and Alfred's hands and started to spread. Alfred's eyes widened and he held back the urge to shriek and jerk his hands away. But the strings- or whatever the heck they were- didn't hurt like he expected them to; the light was warm on the edges of his fingers, smooth like marble.

Eventually, both Simon and Alfred's hands were covered in blue glowing lines. It looked like their skin was covered in shining blue fishnet.

China finished the spell with a sharp word, and suddenly the lines contracted, forcing their hands to press against each other. Alfred actually did yell this time and instinctively pulled with his arms, but he couldn't move. The lines were now hot and burning. A scalding white had chased away the comforting blue.

Before Alfred could start freaking out in earnest, the lines disappeared.

He yanked his hands away and stumbled backwards a step. Simon reacted similarly, gasping and rubbing at his skin where the lines had been.

"That went well," China said calmly.

"_Well?!_" Simon wheezed. "What the heck was that? What did you do to us?"

Alfred blinked; he hadn't expected Simon to talk back to his superior like that.

China didn't flinch at the accusation. "I did exactly what I was supposed to do. You two are magically linked now. Congratulations," he finished dryly.

Alfred let out a choked laugh. "Thanks, I guess."

"How do I, uh, use it?" Simon asked hesitantly.

Alfred's eye twitched. "I am not an _it_!" he snapped.

Simon huffed. "I wasn't talking about you; I was talking about the spell."

China intervened, saying, "I don't know exactly how the spell works after completion. I was under the impression that it was more of a mental fixation."

Simon frowned and Alfred said, "So, what, he just has to think about how far away I can physically move away from him and stuff?"

China shrugged. "Possibly. Why don't you try it out?"

Simon looked sideways at Alfred and Alfred's mouth suddenly went dry.

There was a sharp, burning sting and Alfred glanced down at his hands. The net-like lights had reappeared but this time the magic was scalding hot as it constricted around his skin.

Alfred made a strangled sound at the pain; it felt like he had just stuck his hands into fire. His legs gave out, forcing him to drop to his knees and hunch over. His breaths were coming in gasps and his vision swam. For a moment he thought he was going to pass out.

Distantly he heard a startled exclamation, but he was too focused on trying to breathe to figure out who it belonged to. Through watery eyes he saw a pair of boots run to his side. Then Simon was there kneeling beside him and reaching out.

The burning sensation stopped. Alfred sucked in a lungful of air and wheezed it back out, coughing like he had just been suffocated. The smell of charred skin was awful and he gagged. It took a minute, but he slowly came back to his senses.

Simon was patting his back. And it was actually helping him to breathe better, much to Alfred's surprise. Simon was saying something to China and Alfred shut his eyes, trying to concentrate-

"-never said it would hurt him!" Simon's voice was shrill and Alfred winced in response.

"I did not know!" China was defensive, surprised. "The book said nothing about this! If I had known I would not have-"

Alfred suddenly couldn't breathe again. He leaned farther forward and began to cough like he was trying to hack up a lung. The pair turned their attention back to the teenager, both alarmed and worried, and Alfred managed to get out, "I don't-" He coughed again.

"I don't think," he began again. "This is how the spell always works."

"How would you know?" Simon glared at him, but Alfred could still read the worry in the lines of his face.

"It's just what I think." Alfred looked down at his hands and swallowed. There were red imprints on his skin where the magic had burned him. He tried to clench his hands and grimaced. It was painful. But not impossible.

He raised his eyes to meet Simon's. "What were you thinking?" he asked, trying not to snap.

Simon shook his head. "I wasn't trying to hurt you; I wouldn't do that. I was just- I was just wondering how I was going to get you to stay by my side if you ever, you know-"

"- tried to run?" Alfred finished and Simon flushed. "No, it's okay. I get it. But, uh, maybe you should try to trust me enough so I can walk around without my hands burning? I won't run away, I promise." He wiggled his fingers at the guard.

Simon's gaze flickered to Alfred's hands. "I- um. Yeah. I mean- yes. I'll try to work on that. Sorry about-"

"Don't worry. It's not as bad as it seems, actually. The pain's already fading, see!"

He held out his hands and Simon and China leaned forward. The marks on his hands were disappearing as if they had never been there in the first place.

"Weird," Simon breathed.

"The spell must have a healing part woven into it," China said.

Alfred dropped his hands. "I think we're going to get better at this spell the longer we're working with it," he said both to China and Simon.

China rubbed his eyes. "I hope so. The Queen will be furious if you are harmed, and I don't want to give him any more reason to be mad with me."

Alfred felt a bit guilty at that. He was leaving the Jack in a tough situation. "You really think he'll find out?"

"Undoubtedly. You should be happy you're leaving soon." He twisted around to look at the group of men standing a little ways off. Alfred noticed many were watching them.

"We should rejoin the others," China said as he turned back to face him. "You'll be leaving soon."

There was a sinking feeling in Alfred's gut; he suddenly realized that he didn't want to leave. Spades had become so familiar to him in such a short time. "Right. We should, uh, go then."

China nodded and led them back. Alfred and Simon stayed back behind the others while China addressed the group.

"Everyone please stand back." He made a sweeping motion with his arm and everyone shuffled backwards. Alfred could barely see over all of the heads. He tried to stand on the tips of his toes but it didn't help.

There was a sharp slicing noise. Alfred recognized it as a sword being drawn and he froze in instinctive fear. But before he could do anything else, the glint of moonlight hitting metal flashed through the air and China's sword slashed sideways.

A huge gaping hole unexpectedly roared to existence in front of the crowd. The explosion of magic sent a blast of wind tearing through the soldiers' clothes. Alfred got over his shock and ducked his head, bearing his teeth.

By the time he recovered, the guards were already moving towards the hole. Alfred felt his jaw go slack as one of the men jumped straight into the swirling vortex, without the slightest hesitation. The center of the hole glowed bright white before going dark again. The next soldier plunged through next.

All the men were gone in less than a minute. Alfred stood in front of the hole and stared at it in awe. The center was a swirling mass of colors, mostly whites and grays, but the outside edges looked like it was made of black sand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A teleportation device of some kind." China moved to stand next to him. "Greece once called it a Wormhole. It allows men to travel from one place to another by removing the amount of time required to travel there."

Ah. Alfred understood now; Washington D.C. dealt with the past, London with the future, and Beijing with the present.

"So, this thing will take us to the Pentagon?" Simon questioned.

"Yes." China clasped his hands behind his back. "The rest of the men should be waiting for you on the other side."

Simon stepped forward but Alfred caught his sleeve.

"What about my stuff? And Artemis?"

"Your horse will be lead through tomorrow morning, along with any other belongs you may have. And I will personally be visiting you in accordance with what we have discussed. For now you just have to go."

"I-" He wasn't ready to go. But, he thought as he looked past Simon at the Wormhole, he had to be. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Thanks, for everything."

China's expression was grim. "Don't thank me yet. See you soon."

"Yeah. See you." He slowly turned to face the Wormhole.

Simon locked eyes with him and Alfred nodded. Alfred's respect for the soldier increased as Simon slipped into the Wormhole without hesitation. He immediately followed, not bothering to look back.

-o0o-

"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and un unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."

Harry S. Truman

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***See Chapter 14, part 1.**

****'Special Relationship' is a term used to describe the close alliance between the countries of the United States and the United Kingdom, spoken first by Winston Churchill in 1946 I believe.**


	20. Chapter 17, Spades

**8/26/2014 **

**Yes, this story is still going on. Sorry for the long wait, guys! I'm really, really glad this chapter is finally done; it took a lot of encouragement from my sister to get me to work on this (she read an unfinished fanfic and suffered greatly, therefore yelled at me on your behalves)! Without her, this chapter still wouldn't be done. So a HUGE thank you goes out to her! Also, this is the last semi-fluffy chapter for...pretty much the rest of the story. Enjoy the peacefulness while you can!**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

"They've gone?" Arthur asked as he scribbled something down. It was the morning after the soldiers had left for the Pentagon with the Jack of Hearts.

"Yes." Yao kept his poker face in place.

"Nothing went wrong?"

"Everything went according to plan, Your Majesty." There he felt a twinge of guilt, but ignored it. He wasn't outright lying. He was…withholding certain information. That was all.

"Wonderful." Arthur looked up and smiled kindly at him. "Thank you, Yao. You may go."

Yao bowed and left. He estimated a max of three days before Arthur discovered Jones was missing, and that was being generous. He dreaded the moment Arthur would turn on him.

That moment came two and a half days later. Yao was walking down the hallway towards the Library when a nearby door- the one that led to the Queen's Room- crashed open. Yao was proud to say he did not scream, but he did jump and drop the scrolls he had been carrying.

"Yao." Arthur's voice was flat and demanding; it froze Yao in his tracks as he bent to pick up what he had dropped.

Yao swallowed. "Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Come in here."

Yao sighed inwardly. He stood up, scrolls in his arms, and followed Arthur's retreating back through the main room of the King and Queen's Study. He carefully placed the scrolls on a nearby table and entered the Study where Arthur sat at the desk, waiting.

Arthur nodded towards the door. "Shut it behind you."

Yao did as he was told and sat across his Queen. Arthur watched him with eyes hard as emeralds, expression stony. Yao did not flinch or squirm under his gaze. Arthur would be the first to speak, not him.

Yao refused to be treated like a criminal. He had done nothing wrong.

After a full minute of silence, Arthur said, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked carefully, to make sure.

Arthur's hand slammed down on the desk, startling Yao. "Why did you send the Jack of Hearts to the Pentagon with the rest of our spies?" he hissed.

Yao composed himself. "The moment was opportune to-"

"Oh _please_!" Arthur snapped at him. "You wanted him gone the second I brought him back from Alhliða with us!" He stood up and there was a terrible scraping noise as the chair was abruptly pushed backwards.

Arthur began pacing, hands clasped behind his back, glaring at Yao every time he turned. Yao said as steadily as he could, "Yes. I do. I believe he puts our entire Kingdom at great risk."

Arthur snorted and Yao said loudly, "_But_, I was not the one to suggest he leave."

Arthur stopped moving. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"The Jack came to me asking for this, not the other way around. It was not my idea to send him away, Arthur."

Arthur stared at him. "Then who-?"

"Jones." Yao resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Who else would have the audacity and power to send him away? I certainly wouldn't take the risk with you breathing down my neck. And neither would anyone else for that matter."

A strange expression crossed Arthur's face- hurt, the kind only betrayal can create- but he looked down before Yao could fully analyze it.

"Alfred, he-" Arthur cleared his throat and continued speaking to his hands. "-he decided to leave on his own?"

"Yes," Yao said slowly.

Arthur's hands clenched and he glared at Yao. "Why did you even allow him to leave in the first place?! He cannot leave without my permission!"

"He can't leave Hearts," Yao corrected him. "However, he is not bound to the Castle by your promise. As for why I let him leave, he made a tempting offer-"

Arthur sat down and folded his hands on the desk. "Explain."

-o0o-

_Spades- The Pentagon_

They didn't have much time.

Yao estimated less than two months until war broke out. In the meantime, Arthur would attempt to negotiate with Hearts to procrastinate the fighting as much as possible. That meant the spies would have less than a month to prepare for infiltration into Clubs. They would need to return to Spades almost immediately, making their mission a one day event.

To convey this information to the spies, Yao visited the Pentagon three days after sending the group there. In his right hand he carried a plain vanilla envelope. It felt heavy in his grip.

"China?"

Yao turned to see the Jack of Hearts standing in the clearing behind him. The teenager was covered from head to toe in dirt, caked in mud and grass poked out of his blonde bangs. He looked surprised to see Yao but smiled quickly.

"Jones," Yao said stiffly.

"I would offer my hand but, uh-" Jones looked down at himself and Yao wrinkled his nose in disgust. "-I don't think you'd wanna touch me right now."

"No. I don't think so, either." Yao held out the envelope. Jones automatically reached out to take it.

"Wha-?"

"It's from the Queen. He insisted on me giving this to you, since he doesn't have the opportunity to yell at you himself."

Alfred frowned and griped the paper. "Why not?"

Yao said flatly, "Arthur is the Queen of Spades. He is very busy trying to avoid war; visiting you is not his top priority, I'm afraid."

Pain flashed in Alfred's blue eyes. Yao suddenly pictured Arthur in his Private Study wearing that same expression not twenty-four hours ago when Yao had advised him against visiting Jones.

"Arthur doesn't want to see me?" He even sounded upset, but why should he care? Arthur wasn't _his_ Queen.

"No. That's the problem." Yao turned his head to gaze out over the training ground. "He wanted to see you so badly he demanded to come with me."

Jones perked up but Yao refused to look at him. In the distance he spotted figures on the grass, mock fighting while others took turns practicing with weapons. Sunlight flashed off metal.

"He couldn't come, of course," Yao continued to say. "There's too much to do and not enough time to do it. He couldn't find a moment to come with me even if he wanted to. Thus, the letter." He gestured.

"Yeah," Jones said awkwardly, shuffling his feet. "Um. Thanks then, for bringing this to me."

Yao hadn't done it for him. But he said, "You are welcome. Now, take me on a tour. I wish to see how the other spies are doing."

Jones obeyed. As they strolled around the Pentagon grounds, Yao asked him about Hearts. The questions weren't too demanding and Jones answered them without hesitation. Again Yao found himself wondering how a Jack could be willing to do such a thing.

"Where is the other soldier?" Yao asked. "Simon Amuls?"

"He's still out training," Jones said. "We've gotten a lot better at the whole distance thing. I can go anywhere within in the Pentagon boundary during the day but at night he limited it so I can't leave our bedroom."

"And you don't find that annoying?"

Jones shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. Besides, it's not for forever."

Yao spoke with the leader of the mission briefly over dinner and then returned to the Castle. The next time he visited, Jones came running up the hill to meet him.

"Here!" Jones gasped, out of breath, and shoved a piece of paper at him. Yao took it, taken aback by the Heart's sudden appearance, Amuls emerging over the hill barely a minute later, out of breath from the climb.

"It's a letter to Arthur," Jones said, answering Yao's unspoken curiosity. "Give it to him for me, will you?"

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

Arthur almost felt bad for Yao; he had become a messenger of sorts between himself and Alfred. He hadn't meant for the letters to become a routinely service, but there was no way he was going to stop it once it had begun. Arthur loved reading Alfred's letters almost as much as he enjoyed writing his own. He always felt more at peace after receiving updates on Alfred's condition.

"Why does he matter so much?"

Startled, Arthur looked up from Alfred's latest letter. Yao stood in the doorway of Arthur's Private Study. His dark eyes were so intense that Arthur had to resist the urge to avoid his gaze.

Arthur chewed the inside of his cheek. "If I knew the answer myself I would tell you," was the only thing he could think to say.

Yao made an exasperated sound and Arthur snapped defensively, "It's the truth! I don't know why, it just- is. I cannot explain my protectiveness of him any more than I can explain why magic exists. And you cannot end our friendship no matter how badly you want to!"

Arthur was red-faced and breathing heavily by the end of his rant. His cheeks warmed as he waited in silence for Yao to speak. Finally, Yao said, "This is dangerous, Arthur. You have to keep your feelings in check. Remember who the enemy is."

He turned on his heel and left.

Arthur stared after him, a sinking feeling in his chest. He rubbed his eyes then squeezed them shut. He knew who the enemy was. He always knew, no matter what Yao believed. But Alfred just didn't feel like a Heart. He felt like- like he belonged here, in Spades. With Arthur and Toris and Canada, even. Arthur felt a closeness with the teenager unlike anything he had ever known, like he had known Alfred for years.

There was only one explanation for this feeling, this sense of belonging. Arthur had suspected it for the longest time but he was afraid to voice his thoughts. It didn't make any sense; it couldn't. Even Arthur could admit to that.

Yao would think he was delusional; a Heart could not be the King of Spades. Especially not when that Heart was the Jack.

Arthur eventually decided to mention this- hesitantly and with extreme caution- to Yao when he returned from the Pentagon, but by the next night he still had not returned. Arthur had begun to from a rescue team when a servant reported Yao had returned heavily bandaged with the support of a spy that had been sent to the Pentagon.

"YAO!" Arthur came bursting into the infirmary, a group of advisors and servants at his heels.

Yao's eyes were closed, and he looked limp and pale lying on sky blue sheets. _Lifeless_, Arthur's mind supplied and his heart lurched in fear.

But then Yao's eyes opened and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He collapsed on a bedside chair and reached out to squeeze his friend's hand. Arthur frowned at the pile of bloody bandages the nurses were hastily taking away.

"Yao, what happened?" he asked, dragging his gaze away.

"I was attacked," Yao said with distain. He didn't sound in pain or shock, but Arthur didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. "Intended murder. Is there ever anything else? Unfortunately the assailant escaped before Alfred managed to pin him down."

Alfred's name sent a jolt through Arthur's consciousness. "A-Alfred?" he said.

Yao nodded solemnly. "He saved me, Arthur. I would be dead had he not intervened."

Yao warmed up considerably to Alfred after that incident. Few things could force cooperation and respect as saving another's life could, and Alfred's actions had been enough to crumble the wall Yao had built between them. Yao spent longer durations at the Pentagon to keep a keen eye on the soldiers' training progress and Arthur suspected it was to learn more about Hearts from Alfred.

He tried not to be jealous. Really, he did. But it was frustrating that Yao- who had hated Alfred and all he stood for up until a few days ago- was able to spend more time with Alfred then Arthur.

"Don't tell me you're jealous," Yao said one night as the pair huddled in Arthur's Study.

When Arthur didn't respond, Yao scoffed, "Don't be so childish, Arthur. You know it means nothing. I could never come close to the relationship you two share."

Arthur's head snapped up. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he said somewhat harsher than he intended to.

Yao sighed. "Nothing."

There was a pause. Arthur fumed silently over a map of Clubs. Him, childish? Please. He was the picture of sophisticated grace-

"Arthur?"

"What," he ground out.

"I've been meaning to ask you…do you think it's possible that you and Alfred share a United Bond?"

Arthur chocked on the tea he had begun to sip. He turned his head to the side and coughed several times before he could speak. "Excuse me?" he finally gasped.

Yao shrugged and flipped a paper. "Just a thought. No need to get so worked up."

"No, it's not that. I'm just shocked you said it so- so- so bluntly."

"There's no other way to go about discussing a topic like that."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Arthur chewed on his bottom lip. Yao seemed to be in no rush, still rereading papers he had written based on Alfred's knowledge of Hearts.

Finally, he said, "I… I'm afraid to say it, but I believe that might be a distinct possibility."

Yao nodded. "So do I."

"It's the only explanation that makes sense." Arthur felt like needed to explain himself.

"I agree."

Arthur let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He cast a look at Yao, who was acting strangely calm. "What does that mean for him? What does that mean for _us_?"

Yao paused. "I don't know. Alfred is the Jack of Hearts; a change in Suit for a Triumvirate is unheard of but…" His voice trailed off.

Arthur clenched his hands and released them. He didn't know what else to say.

"Would you want Alfred to be our King?"

"I don't know." Arthur shook his head. "It would be nice to have someone there to confide and rely on. Besides you, of course."

"I understand."

The conversation ended there. There was a strange feeling in Arthur's chest, like someone was squeezing his heart. A lump had formed in his throat and he struggled to ignore it. He spent the rest of the night blinking away tears of whose origin he was uncertain.

-o0o-

As the days rushed by, Arthur found it harder to sleep. He couldn't think about anything except the invasion, couldn't spare time for even a few hours of rest. The only thing he allowed himself was the moments when he could read and respond to Alfred's letters.

Some of the letters made Arthur laugh:

_Arthur,_

_It rained the other night but of course we had to train outside the next day anyway. I was talking to one of the general-spy-people- whatever it is they're called- when Simon happened to walk too far away from me. The next thing I know I'm being yanked back towards him so I fall forward, grabbing the closest thing so I could to stop my fall- which happened to be the general's pants, of course- and landed face forward in the mud. In short, I spent the rest of the day with a face covered in dry mud and clothes with caked on dirt, all the while avoiding a pissed off general with cupcake boxers (who knew?)._

_Simon spent the first five minutes after I fell laughing so hard he had to lie down. But later in the day he helped me wash away most of the mud in a nearby river. I thought we would have a lot of problems working together but he's actually a pretty cool dude. He even admitted that he doesn't think Hearts are as bad as he originally thought now that we've gotten to know each other. And I've gotta say he's pretty great with a sword. You should think about giving him a raise, Artie._

Some made him sad, a little bit guilty:

_I rode Artemis around camp today. I couldn't go that far with Simon keeping his eye on me, but that was okay. I watched the sunset on her back and the sky was a bright pink and orange mix that reminded me of Hearts. Do you ever miss where you came from Arthur?_

Other's made him bristle and grab for a pen to retaliate:

_I tried marmite today and it was pretty much the grossest thing ever. Well, except your cooking. Your food sucked so bad I don't remember tasting anything for a week._

"How is he?" Arthur asked Yao two and a half weeks after Alfred had left.

Yao made a thoughtful humming sound. "He is good. More impressive with combative attacks than I originally gave him credit for. He aims well, shoots with accuracy, has a remarkable amount of strength and generally excels in anything the generals ask of him."

"He told Matthew that Hearts citizens are put into a kind of military training program at a young age," Arthur said, thinking back to his recent conversations with the Diamond. In their talks he had begun to form a friendship Alfred's twin. He was so much like Alfred, but much calmer and easy to understand. "It was a mandatory course."

"That is probably where he learned most of his skills from then. Still, it seems odd to me that he could shoot the Iron Bow those weeks ago. Even with all that training, the Bow was made for Spades citizens."

Arthur frowned. "I...had not thought of that. It is rather strange." They spent the rest of the conversation in pensive silence, but Arthur didn't come any closer to finding an answer. He felt like he was missing an obvious- but important- piece of a puzzle. A piece he couldn't find yet.

He had the heart attack of a life time a week before Alfred and the others returned. Alfred had apparently been nearly killed by a stray passerby who had stopped in camp for the night. Upon accidentally hearing Alfred was the Jack of Hearts from a soldier, the middle aged woman had pulled out several knifes and had thrown them at Alfred's head.

Alfred had survived obviously, but received several cuts in the process.

Arthur wanted to strangle the woman until she understood what she had almost done. Alfred wasn't bloody _dispensable_-!

"No-" Yao pushed him back, away from the woman and army men who rushed to arrest her upon their return from the Pentagon.

"I said no, Arthur!" Yao hissed. "You can't be involved with this!"

"And why _the hell_ not?! I'm the Queen and I can do as I please-"

Yao shoved him harder this time, out of the courtyard and into the hallway. "Not right now, you can't! You are too emotional when Alfred is involved! You don't think clearly. You cannot deal with this woman-"

"Murderer!" Arthur snapped. "Call her what she is! She's a murderer!"

"- because you will not be just," Yao finished.

"You don't agree with me?" Arthur said stiffly after a moment had passed.

"I did not say that. I am leaving it to a jury to decide. I, too, am compromised since I owe Alfred my life."

They stared each other down. Arthur turned away after a minute, jaw clenched, and stalked away. He could feel Yao's heavy gaze on the back of his neck. He kept walking until he found himself standing in front of the Queen's Private Study. He stared at the door, a 'Q' engraved in the center. He turned the door knob and entered.

He hadn't been in the Queen's Private Study for years, preferring to use the Joint Study in his bedroom. He had read that the King's Private Study had windows leading to a wide field. The Queen's, however, lead to a garden filled with every flower known to man, surrounding a small lake.

Arthur sat at the lake's edge and clasped his hands together. He tried to meditate, to calm himself down. Then he remembered the letter- Alfred's letter that he had written after he'd been attacked. Yao had shoved in into his pocket at some point but he couldn't remember when, he had been so furious…

He was still furious. To think that a stranger could simply throw a knife and snuff out Alfred's very existence just like that. But he was trying not to think about that right now.

With shaking fingers he opened the letter.

_Arthur,_

_Sorry, I probably scared you there, huh? Since you probably didn't believe Yao- I'm fine. _Really._ Nothing's broken, she didn't hit my eye or cut off a finger or stab me in the heart. I'm gonna heal. The healer-person on our team doesn't even think I'll have scars._

_You'll probably check that I'm not bleeding to death next week anyway. If you want to- that's fine, whatever makes you feel better. _

_It's been hard, being away from you and Mattie, Toris and Rica. I can't wait get back next week, even if I'm leaving right after that. The time I've been here has kinda made me rethink how I feel about the war, the role I play in it, and Hearts, my old home. _

_Do you ever question your purpose or where you came from, Arthur? Because I am. And it's scaring me._

There was no signature.

Arthur had reached the end of the letter but he didn't understand. He reread Alfred's words several times but didn't come any closer to comprehension. He dropped the letter to his lap and stared blankly at the other end of the garden. The letter hadn't made him feel any better, only more confused than he had been before.

What was Alfred trying to say?

-o0o-

_The Pentagon_

"Better," the Ace of Spades said. "_Much_ better."

Alfred gazed at his surroundings and felt a swell of pride. He was encircled in a tunnel of white light, nearly five feet in diameter with his arms spread out wide. The grass glowing softly underneath his feet bore no influence of any Kingdom whatsoever.

Alfred closed his eyes. A warm breeze made his bangs flop and clothes ripple. It gave him a safe, relaxed feeling he rarely felt these days. Within this tunnel of his own Natural Magic, he had a sense of security no other place could offer him; if anyone dared to pass through the light to get to him, their Kingdom's influence would be burned away.

He let out a breath and concentrated on releasing the magic. There was an uncomfortable sensation inside his mind, like a pressure on his head being let up, and the tunnel of light dissolved into the air.

Alfred rubbed his eyes and glanced at the Ace. She wore a smug expression and secretive smile he didn't quite trust.

"Do you think I can initiate the Clubs influence on the Ciph now?" he asked to distract her from whatever she was thinking.

The Ace seemed to focus back on him. "Yes. You should try it now before you return to Spades tomorrow."

Alfred took out the Ciph. He rubbed the clover symbol with his thumb and silently hoped this would work. Ignoring the Ace's intense gaze, he put all his efforts into thinking about the Ciph.

This was the tricky part. Alfred needed to somehow convince a non-living yet still magical object- the Ciph- that he, Alfred, belonged to the same Kingdom and therefore held the same influence. This meant changing his own influence to match that of a Clubs royal. However, he couldn't let his whole body gain Clubs influence unless he wanted to be a Clubs citizen. Only his hand could bare Clubs influence if he wanted this to work.

Alfred breathed in and out in an even pattern. He was a Clubs citizen. He _belonged_ in Clubs where the snow never melted and luck was a gracious companion. He could feel wind biting at his cheeks. Ice crunched beneath his shifting weight. He could see white landscapes sprawled out in front of him as clear as the day he had visited with the Hearts Triumvirate.

His fingers tingled and he peeked down at his hand.

"Oh, _YEAH!_" He let out a whoop and punched his now green-tinged fist into the air.

"Let me see," the Ace commanded. Alfred held up the Ciph with a smirk.

The Clubs Ciph was giving off a pulsing green light. Where the metal had been cold, it now felt warm to his touch.

"Mission," Alfred said. "Accomplished."

"Congratulations." She gave him a closed mouth smile.

A thought occurred to him and he froze. "Wait, does that mean I've mastered my powers?" The idea struck a thrill of horror through him. His hands started to shake. Was the prophecy doomed to happen now?

"Mastering anything takes longer than a month of nightly practice," she sniffed.

"Hey!" Alfred said, terror forgotten as easily as it came. "I worked hard to achieve _this_-" He waved the glowing Ciph at her in an almost violent manner. "- okay?!"

She looked like she was trying hard not to roll her eyes and he felt a surge of satisfaction.

She continued, "Regardless, your control is satisfactory enough to give you a range of abilities. You understand the basics, so you should be able to increase your power with time."

_I don't_ have _time_, he thought savagely.

"I'm impressed with you Wild."

Alfred blinked and his mind went blank. "What?"

"You've impressed me. I did not expect you to excel as quickly as you have, especially neutralizing and re-enforcing the influence of the spell that bound you to that Amuls soldier. I must say that enjoyed having you as my student."

"Thanks…I guess?" Alfred didn't know what to say. "You were a, um, pretty good teacher too. Except for the time you threatened to skin me alive. That was kinda freaky, not gonna lie."

She threw back her head and laughed. "Yes, I remember that. You were being particularly resistant that night."

He narrowed his eyes. "You weren't being clear! How was I supposed to know that you could bend magic into shapes? I never even saw magic used in practice until I came here."

"Your Hearts Triumvirate never practiced magic in your presence?"

Alfred's heart clenched at the mention of his friends. "No."

"Hm. Pity. Maybe you could have learned of your abilities quicker if they had."

Alfred avoided her gaze. He didn't want to talk about Hearts.

"Wild-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" He snapped at her. "You've tried to convince me to join your cause a billion times by now! Whatever else you have to say, I don't want to hear it! Why can't you let me make my own decision?!"

"I was not going to discuss that," she said in a placid tone. "I was going to say that you will be fine on the infiltration mission."

Alfred flushed. Well, that was embarrassing. "Uh, thanks. I mean- thank you. For helping me and for saying that." And now it was just awkward.

The Ace regarded him with a fond expression. She opened her mouth to say something-

"- wait!" he blurted before he could stop himself. "Before you say anything, I've been meaning to ask you, why did you kiss me? Before, when we first met?"

She looked puzzled by his question but answered, "When I kissed you, I passed on a vision. A vision of the future Spades after the war with Hearts," she told him. "I did that so you would understand what is at stake. I see those images every day."

Alfred clenched his hands into fists but didn't respond. The Ace sighed. He didn't lean away when she reached forward to rest an unnaturally long fingered hand on his head. She let her hand trail down the side of his face before lifting his chin gently. He reluctantly met her gaze.

Her hands were as cold as her lips had been.

"I won't try to convince you again as of now," she said. "But you should know I will see you soon. Your era of peace here in Spades is ending. I would be careful if I were you. This Clubs adventure of yours will not finish well."

He stared up at the Ace. He believed her; her silver eyes were sincere. But he would never, ever trust her. So he simply said, "Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind."

-o0o-

There was a woman standing in front of Alfred. She was gaping at a source of light just out of his field of view. No matter how much he turned his head or leaned forward he could not see what she was looking at.

"My Queen," said a deep, rumbling voice. It came from the light source. "Your reign is coming to an end."

The woman closed her mouth. An expression of pain and sadness contorted her face into a grimace. "I know. But I must ask you for this favor. One favor, and then I will surrender."

The vision phased out, became blurry, and refocused again. Time had passed- there were tear streaks down the woman's long face without evidence of how they were caused- and the light source had dimmed. With a jolt, Alfred recognized the woman as the human version of the Ace of Spades. She had long dark brown hair and the long fingers of a pianist.

"I will grant your wish with the help of the other Sun," said the voice and Alfred's eyes widened in shock. Was he seeing a vision of how the Kingdoms had been made? "But be wary, Queen of the Southern Stars. This wish will cause you to suffer without release for thousands of years and will cost you greatly. Eventually your power will consume you and all you hold dear. Are you willing to accept such a gift?"

Alfred felt his eyes widen. Her power would consume her? What has he talking about?

The Queen- now the current Ace of Spades- proudly raised her head. "I will do anything to ensure the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. Grant me my wish and you shall be released of your duties to myself and my people."

The Sun's light grew, enveloping the entire room, including the Queen of Southern Stars and Alfred, in blinding light. Alfred shut his eyes and turned away, used to how the visions operated by now and waited for the light to disappear.

When he opened his eyes he was back in the Pentagon in the bedroom he shared with Simon. Everything was dark, meaning it was still in the early hours of the morning. He climbed out of bed silently and made sure Simon was still asleep before going back to his own bed. He pulled out Washington D.C. and laid on his back.

The Eternal Implement was back to its normal size and weight; it had been super small and light before the vision. Alfred stroked the glass face of the clock and tried to think clearly. The Sun of the Southern Stars had said that the Ace's power would consume her. Did that mean the Aces were going to eventually self-destruct? If that was true why did they need Alfred to end the Kingdoms now?

She probably just wants her suffering to end sooner, Alfred thought to himself with a scowl. She was so selfish, making the wish to create the Kingdoms to only end up planning their destruction years later. And all for her own gain too.

But that meant even if Alfred became the King of Spades and avoided the Kingdom's destruction, the Kingdoms would end regardless due to the Aces' magic. The Kingdoms could even end while he was King, making his decision irrelevant.

Alfred groaned and rolled over to his side, facing away from Simon. Why did this have to be so difficult?

The way he saw it, there were three options ahead of him.

The first; he could become the King of Spades. The Hearts and Clubs might spill the beans that he was the Wild Card but that wouldn't matter then because he'd be King by then. There would probably still be a war though in which Spades might likely not survive. And a lot of people would be mad at him. But that would happen no matter what he ended up doing.

Secondly, he could leave Spades. He could accept his role as the Wild Card and roam the Kingdoms for the rest of his days. He would constantly be on the run from Royal Soldiers from all the Kingdoms, though, which would prevent him from staying in one place for very long. He wouldn't have any friends and he would never see Toris, Rica or Mattie ever again.

Alfred felt his heart sink at that realization. He didn't want to give up the relationships he had made. He loved all three too much. And that didn't even take Arthur into perspective.

Then again the first two options would be pointless if the Aces blew up during his lifetime.

And the third; accept the Ace's desire and grant her wish. Somehow neutralize the Kingdoms, if that was even possible. Who knew how he, or anyone else, would end up after that?

"All of those options suck!" Alfred hissed quietly at Washington. "Why can't you give me something useful for once?"

He glared at the Eternal Implement but of course there was no response. What had he expected, another stupid vision that told him nothing? He pressed his forehead to the clock and squeezed his eyes shut. It felt like there was a lump in his throat and he knew if he opened his eyes they would be blurry with tears. Despair threatened to overtake him.

Prussia had once told him that as the Wild Card he could change 'the Plan'. But how could he do that if all of his choices were taken away from him?

His hands were warm.

Alfred opened his eyes slowly. Washington was glowing with a dull blue hue. It pulsed in his hands like a heartbeat. He frowned. Was it trying to comfort him?

Alfred stared at the clock for a few moments until the glow had faded away again. He was surprised to find that his sadness was gone. In its place was a strange determination.

He squeezed his hands around the clock until his knuckles turned white. If there were no more options left to him, he would just have to make his own instead. That was the _only_ option as far as he was concerned, Ace of Spades be damned.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle_

Arthur's heart was pounding. He could hear the rapid _thump-thump_ in his ears as he sprinted down a stairway. He took a sharp right, almost crashing into a servant, and took off running again. He was so full of wild energy he forgot to apologize.

Today was the day. The day Alfred would return from the Pentagon.

Arthur finally reached the courtyard entrance and skidded to a halt. A crowd of people were gathered at the center and he couldn't tell if the spies had returned yet or if they were just being tended by various servants and soldiers.

Butterflies fluttered in Arthur's stomach. Alfred had been gone for a month. They had exchanged letters but had that been enough to keep their relationship strong? What if he hated Arthur again as he had during his first few days of his captivity? Arthur clenched his hand into a fist. He didn't know what he would do if that happened.

Arthur caught sight of a figure running across the courtyard towards the crowd, quickly followed by two others; a man and a short girl. With a start he recognized the first as Matthew- whom he had grown close to during his stay at Spades- the second as Toris and the last as the girl Alfred had hugged at the Town party those nights ago.

He watched as Matthew fought his way through the crowd until giving out a loud cry and throwing his arms around someone.

Arthur swallowed nervously. There was only one person Matthew would hug like that.

Matthew was now pulling that someone to the edge of the crowd. Arthur felt something akin to relief when he at last caught sight of Alfred's brilliant gold hair. That one strand still stuck up at an odd angle and his glasses glinted where the sunlight hit it, but he was the same teenager Arthur had come to know and care for. He had the same grin and laughter that could be heard even at this distance.

Arthur found himself crossing the courtyard before he was aware of his action.

"- ow, ow, ow! Jeez, relax, Mattie! I'm not totally recovered yet!" He could hear Alfred say breathlessly. He saw Toris and the dark skinned girl- Mica? Rica? Yes, that was it- envelop Alfred in a hug.

His footsteps slowed and his resolve faltered. He felt like he was invading a private moment. What if Alfred didn't want to see him?

It was at that moment Alfred's face peeked out from between Toris and Rica's shoulders. He caught sight of Arthur and their eyes locked.

"_Arthur!_" Alfred let out a startled shout and struggled to get out of Toris and Rica's grip.

Arthur clenched his jaw as Alfred stumbled towards him. The teen stopped when they were about three feet apart. He looked Arthur up and down, like he was inspecting him, and Arthur tried to pretend he wasn't doing the same thing.

Alfred looked…decent, to say the least. His hair was a bit longer than Arthur remembered, his skin a bit tanner, and Arthur didn't think he would ever get used to seeing Alfred wear glasses. Arthur eyed the bandages around Alfred's right hand and the small cut on his left cheek. That one looked dangerously close to his blue eye, too close for Arthur's liking.

He fought down a flare of anger and forced himself to take a deep breath.

Alfred smirked at him, as if he knew what Arthur was thinking, and Arthur scowled in response.

"_What?_" he snapped, still trying to control his rage.

"Whoa, chill." Alfred held up his hands in mock surrender. Arthur could actually see him trying not to smile. "I didn't say anything!"

"Yes, but you were clearly thinking something!" Arthur accused. In the distance he saw Toris and Matthew share an amused look.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Holy Ace, seriously? I just got back not even five minutes ago and you're already chewing me out. Can't you just say, 'Alfred, I'm so happy to see you again. It's nice to see you alive!' and be done with it?"

"Alfred," Arthur said in a dramatically high voice as he clasped his hands together. "I am so very, very happy to see you again. It's nice to see that you are alive!"

"There. Was that so hard?"

Arthur feigned thinking about it and Alfred let out a sigh. "Oh, shut up." He strode over and wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders, effectively crushing the Queen to his chest.

Arthur's nose was squished against Alfred's shoulder and it was frustrating having evidence that Alfred was _actually taller than him_-

But he still found himself hugging back, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to relax now that he could feel Alfred breathing and alive in his arms. Alfred laughed again and Arthur felt the rumble through his chest.

Abruptly he released his hold and shoved Alfred away. The little git had the audacity to smirk at him.

"Missed me, huh?" he said.

"Don't be so full of yourself," Arthur said sharply and changed the topic before Alfred could press him for a more honest answer. "Where are your things?"

"Uh." Alfred turned in a circle before spotting Matthew, who held up a backpack with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, there!"

"Excellent. Grab whatever you have and follow me." He turned smartly on his shoulder and walked away quickly. He heard some scrambling noises as Alfred rushed to get his bags and say goodbye.

"I'll find you later!" Arthur heard Alfred call back at the trio he had left behind and then Alfred jogged to a stop next to him.

Arthur glanced to his side and flushed when he found Alfred already grinning at him. After that he kept staring forward, refusing to be distracted even when Alfred began to speak.

"So…where are we going?" Alfred asked, pulling his bags higher on his shoulder.

"First we're going to drop off your things, then we must have a short discussion with Yao."

"Oh." Alfred scratched the back of his neck. "I thought we were going to do something, um, else. Like catch up and talk or something."

Arthur did turn to raise an eyebrow at Alfred then. To his satisfaction, the teenager turned red and avoided his gaze.

"Or something?" Arthur repeated with amusement.

"You _know_ what I meant," Alfred said.

Arthur's sneer died on his lips. "Yes, I suppose I do. Well, you must eat and meet with the rest of the spies to go over the mission…" He refused to acknowledge the sad, despairing feeling at the thought of Alfred infiltrating Clubs and possibly getting hurt. "But after dinner, you are free to do as you please."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I will be kidnapping you much the same way you did for me the night before the Diamonds parted."

Alfred's face broke out into a smile. "We're going to another party?"

"No," said Arthur and tried not to feel guilty when Alfred's expression fell. "But I do have something else in mind. Something I think you will enjoy."

Alfred immediately perked up again. "What is it?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out." Arthur allowed a small smile and Alfred beamed. A happy sort of warmth spread through Arthur, all the way to his toes. He felt some of the tension leave him and he let himself relax his posture. It's not like anyone would notice anyway.

-o0o-

_Somewhere in Spades_

Arthur chose to take him stargazing and Alfred would've been lying if he said he wasn't impressed.

The view was breathtaking. The sky was covered with pinpricks of light that flowed together to create a masterpiece complete with shooting stars and the comforting sounds of crickets. It made Alfred feel very small as he gaped at the heavens in awe, but the beauty it offered was unmatched.

"Have you ever been stargazing before?" Arthur asked him quietly.

"Yeah," Alfred breathed. "A while ago in Hearts, before Kiku became Queen and we still had time to hang out."

He could feel Arthur's gaze on his face but he refused to acknowledge it. Let Arthur come to whatever conclusion he wanted.

"Do you miss it? Hearts?"

Alfred frowned. He hadn't expected that. Without looking at Arthur he countered, "Do you miss your brother?"

Arthur jerked besides him, obviously caught off guard. He didn't say anything for a while after that and Alfred didn't bother to break the silence. It wasn't like the quietness between them was awkward or anything, because it wasn't. It was peaceful and without tension. They had reached the point where the two of them were comfortable with each other's presence, even in silence.

Finally Arthur whispered, "I do. Every day, I miss him."

Alfred said solemnly, "And I miss Hearts. Everything about it. My friends, the Castle, the food, the music…everything. Kiku was my _family_, Arthur. How can I not miss that? I feel like I'm missing a part of myself."

Arthur sounded sincerely apologetic when he said, "I _am_ sorry for causing you to suffer so. But considering my position, there's little else I can say."

Alfred snorted and Arthur looked at him sharply. "What? Do you doubt my words?"

"No, just the opposite. I believe you. I was just thinking if you told me that when I first came to Spades, I probably would've punched you in the face." He shook his head. They had come so far.

"We have grown closer with time," Arthur said softly and Alfred faced him at last. Arthur was smiling at him, a gentle fondness in his green eyes. "We have changed."

Alfred's heart twisted in his chest. "I want you to know, even though Hearts is my home, I consider Spades is my home too. I have met people here that have made this place a second home for me."

An expression of pain crossed Arthur's face. Alfred began to panic inwardly. Was that the wrong thing to say, even though he had met every word? Had he just screwed everything up?

But Arthur only said, "Let's sit. It will be easier to see the stars that way." And he pulled Alfred down with him by the sleeve.

Soon they were both lying face up on the grass, side by side. He could feel Arthur's left arm pressed against his right, but since he was on his back he couldn't see the Queen's face. Somehow, that made everything easier.

Alfred watched a shooting star pass through the heavens and sucked in a breath.

"Make a wish," he told Arthur.

"Why?"

Alfred shrugged. "Dunno. It's just something we always did."

Arthur was quiet. Then, "I wish our lives were easier. And that we had met under different circumstances."

Alfred let out a laugh but it sounded broken, even to his own ears. "You're not supposed to say it out loud, dummy. It won't come true if you do that." His eyes were stinging. He blinked rapidly at the stars to make it go away.

Arthur said, "It doesn't matter. It won't come true anyway."

A pause.

To satisfy his own paranoia, Alfred said into the night, "Do you think we would've been good friends if we met differently? Like, if I was a Spade or you a Heart?" The Ace had told him as much but he wanted to hear it from Arthur himself.

"Without a question," came Arthur's immediate reply. "Even as we are, we became friends during the Gathering."

A knot of tension he hadn't even known existed eased within him. He took a deep breath and let it go. "I think so too," he confessed.

"I wish you weren't going to Clubs," Arthur said abruptly. "I wish you would stay here in Spades forever."

Alfred was speechless.

"I don't want you to leave." Arthur's voice was hushed. "I have a terrible feeling about this. I want to forbid you to go, but…"

"But what?" Alfred asked when he found his voice. He was tense, determined to argue if Arthur was to stop him from going with the invasion force.

"But you made the deal with Yao, not me. I could keep you confined here regardless-"

Fury boiled inside him and Alfred opened his mouth, ready to shout and yell-

"- but I won't. I can't. You kept your word and have helped Spades a great deal. I don't pretend to know why you did it. But I am grateful. So now, Yao must keep his promise to you in return."

Alfred closed his mouth, turned his head. Arthur was staring up at the sky. Alfred wasn't sure, but he thought Arthur's eyes looked shinier than normal- glossy. Like he was holding in tears.

Alfred looked back at the stars. He didn't get it. Why would Arthur be crying? Did he really feel that strongly about Alfred leaving? It's not like he would die or anything. It almost made him feel guilty for leaving.

"Why must you go?" Arthur asked. The chirping of the crickets had faded into the background. "You know you cannot escape Spades captivity. That is one thing I will not permit, despite what you have done. You will be tied to Mr. Amuls the entire duration of the infiltration."

Alfred forced his face into a blank expression. Arthur was wrong. Sure, he wouldn't escape the Spades soldiers even though technically he _could_. He would stay with Simon for as long as possible but he was planning on going off on his own as soon as possible. All he had to do was 'neutralize' the spell connecting him to Simon and he could go wherever he wanted without any restrictions. And the soldiers had communication devices so it wouldn't be impossible to regroup after he found the information he wanted.

Out loud he said, "I want to know what Hearts and Clubs are up to just as badly as you do. This is the only way I could've found out the truth."

"I would have told you anything you wanted to know. If you had just come to me instead of Yao-"

"You don't know that!" Alfred said harshly and Arthur stopped talking. "I would never know if you were telling me everything or only part of it! And don't you dare say that's not true because you _know_ it is!"

After a tense pause, Alfred mumbled, "I'm sorry. That came out really mean."

"Yes, it did." Arthur shifted with a sigh. He didn't sound angry though. Just, sad. "It's alright. I understand your position, however. And you are correct. I just…wish you could trust me."

"I do trust you," Alfred said automatically and then blinked, surprised with himself. Had he said that or was that the United Bond talking?

Arthur laughed humorlessly. "Perhaps to an extent. But not fully."

"I'm sorry," Alfred said. There wasn't really anything else he could say.

"I am as well. Please, just promise me you'll stay safe?"

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. "Um. Is that possible? I can't really control what's going to happen."

Arthur wacked his arm enough to actually hrt. "Humor me."

"Okay, okay! Ow…I promise to _try_ to stay as safe as possible. There, happy?"

"I suppose," Arthur huffed. "I'll make sure to check up on you regardless."

Alfred sent him a curious look. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"With London of course."

"I thought London only showed the future."

"It can show me snippets of time moments prior but marginally close to the moment they occur. I will stay near London so it will show me what is going on in Clubs."

"But, even if something bad happens there's nothing you can do about it. You can't just travel to Clubs in the middle our invasion."

"Hmm." Was the only thing Arthur said.

Dred caused his heart to drop and Alfred sat up. He watched the Queen, who wore a neutral expression, as he said slowly, "Arthur…"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't get involved." Arthur snorted at his words and Alfred scowled. "I mean it. Stay in Spades with Yao."

"Oh, so now you're taking his side?" Arthur snapped with a glare.

Alfred sighed heavily. "I'm not taking a side, jesh. I'm trying to look out for you. If you come to Clubs they could capture you and the war might as well be over before it begins. _Listen_," he said intently when Arthur avoided his gaze. "-don't come to Clubs, no matter what you see in London. Don't risk Spades for this."

Arthur continued to give him the silent treatment. Alfred groaned and flopped back down on the grass. Whatever. It wasn't like he could tell a Queen what to do. He wasn't Arthur's King even if he might've wanted to be.

"How are your wounds?" Arthur asked him in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"They're okay, I guess."

"She should have never touched you. That you almost died because of such carelessness-"

Arthur's voice shook with barely controlled rage. Alfred was kind of shocked by it, in all honestly. "Arthur, it's no big deal. I got nicked with a knife. So, what? I wasn't going to die from wounds by a stupid weapon like that."

The glass covered Tokyo petal lay in the side pocket of his vest and it felt heavier than it actually was. No, Alfred wouldn't have died, even if the wounds had turned critical.

"Plus, all the soldiers there protected me," he added as an afterthought. "They got the lady pretty quickly and Simon even shoved me out of the path of one of her daggers. I was immediately treated and sent back out to train, good as new. You've got good men working for you."

Arthur seemed to have calmed down. His voice was steady again when he responded, "That is good to know."

"My wounds are almost done healing anyway. This-" He raised the hand covered in bandages. It barely hurt anymore. "-is just a precaution."

"I'm glad," Arthur said.

The conversation drifted then and Alfred learned about what Arthur had been doing while he'd been gone. He was happy to know Rica and Toris were okay and that Matthew had grown on Arthur to the point where they were on first-name-basis. Earlier in the day Alfred had given the now activated Ciphs to Toris so that Toris could deliver them back to Arthur before the invasion. The Queen would never know that Alfred had activated the Club Ciphs instead of Toris. Hopefully.

"Are you gonna be there when we leave for Clubs?" Alfred asked out of curiosity.

"Do you want me to be there?"

It was a loaded question, so Alfred just shrugged. "Whatever you want, Artie."

"_Why_ must you call me that?" Arthur sounded like he was scowling and Alfred laughed out loud when he looked over to see it was true.

"'Cause it rifles you up, why else?" Alfred said with a grin.

Arthur let out a groan. "Anything would be better than 'Artie'-"

"Iggy, then."

"-_except_ that," Arthur finished quickly and Alfred laughed again. "No Iggy, no Artie. Please, I beg you. People will think I've lost my touch as Queen."

"Nah, they would never think that. You're too badass. Besides, I think you're the best Queen for Spades."

"Honestly?" Arthur asked in a quiet voice.

"I swear it," Alfred said sincerely.

Arthur gave him a small closed-lip smile. "Thank you. I only wish I had a King to aid me. Things would be easier then."

Alfred stared. His heart sounded unnaturally loud in his ears and Arthur wasn't breaking eye contact. What? Why had Arthur said that? What was he implying?

Alfred swallowed and switched his gaze to the sky. "Yeah. It probably would make things easier."

He could feel Arthur watching him. After a few minutes of silence, Arthur sighed and turned away. Alfred felt his body relax into the ground again as Arthur said, "It is late. We should head back." He stood up.

"Yeah." He accepted Arthur's hand and rose to his feet, brushing dirt and grass off his clothes.

The air between them on the walk back was charged, and Alfred grew more worried with each step. What did Arthur want from him? No matter how badly he wanted to be the King of Spades, the Ace had made sure to tell him it just wasn't possible.

The Tattoos prevented him from changing his fate. In the end, the Tattoos- the physical evidence of the Kingdom's influence that magically bound those to their Suit- were always the root of the problem. But, what if he could somehow change that?

An idea struck him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked as he looked back. He was several steps ahead of Alfred now.

"Sorry," Alfred said distantly. "I just thought of something."

Arthur huffed. "Well, that's fantastic but we really must go."

"Right, sorry."

Alfred hurried to catch up, mind whirling.

-o0o-

_Spades Castle- Training Area_

They were infiltrating Clubs late night into morning. Yao would open a portal and they would come out on the other side someplace near the Clubs Castle. But since Yao had never visited Clubs he couldn't transport the spies to an exact location inside the Castle, but using Toris' description as guide he could transport them onto the Castle grounds.

Yao would open a second portal at a specific time much later after the mission should've been completed in the same location. All spies were responsible to pass through the portal by the time it closed since Yao would do so without all accounted for. If Clubs questioned Spades, Arthur and Yao would deny the infiltration's existence.

It was a very…nerve racking mission, to say the least. And Alfred could tell he wasn't the only one who was freaking out when the day of the mission arrived. Many of the spies tried to rest during sun hours, probably trying to build up energy or something. He spotted others striding around the Spades Castle like they were trying to memorize every last detail. The rest said goodbyes to friends and family since no one knew if they were all going to return to Spades unharmed, if at all.

Alfred did the last of the three options; he said goodbye to Toris, Rica and any other servants he become friends with during the early day hours. He had already made sure to give Toris the activated Ciphs so that he could give them to Arthur in turn. Alfred had also given up Washington D.C. to Rica- with more than a little reluctance- and made her swore not to lose it, mention it or give it up to anyone else until he returned.

Alfred didn't want to give up the Eternal Implement, but he would rather Rica lose it than let it fall into Club hands. He just prayed that Rica didn't do anything stupid with it until the mission had been completed; she still didn't know that Washington was the real Spades King's Eternal Implement. Tokyo, on the other hand, he had kept in case of any emergencies.

After lunch he sat outside with Matthew, wasting time and talking quietly until the sun started to set. Saying goodbye to his brother was the hardest parting Alfred had to deal with. He didn't know how this mission would end and could only hope that Matthew would still be there for him if anything bad happened.

Simon was pale and grim when Alfred made it back to the Training Area at the designated time. The place seemed more intimidating than normal; it was a pitch black night with no moon. The only light came from the small fires lit along the edge of the Area. Most of the spies were already there, fully dressed and armed for the infiltration.

"You okay?" Alfred asked, eyeing his friend's tapping foot.

"What?" Simon's head jerked. "I mean, yes, of course."

"Uh huh. Listen, it's okay to be nervous." Alfred squeezed his shoulder. "We all are. Just don't, you know, let it get to your head."

Simon took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "Yes, I know. It's just-"

"Hard," Alfred finished and Simon nodded. Alfred smiled sadly; he understood Simon's feelings all too well.

Simon's eyes focused on something over Alfred's shoulder. He suddenly tensed, any remaining color draining from his face. "Holy shit," he breathed. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

Alfred turned around to see Arthur making his way across the yard with Yao. He wasn't surprised, really. He had a feeling Arthur would come even though he had been hoping Arthur wouldn't; Arthur was already emotionally invested with the infiltration, if last night was anything to go by.

If he was being honest, Alfred thought their United Bond was influencing Arthur's ability to remain detached from this mission. And the last thing any of them needed was for Arthur to become personally involved. He could ruin the entire infiltration if he decided to intervene.

"Maybe he as some parting words of encouragement?" Alfred suggested. He was trying hard to frown though.

Simon said faintly, "Maybe."

Alfred shot him a concerned look. Simon would be fine once they were in the field, he was sure of it, but he needed to get a grip of himself or he could get removed from the infiltration before it even started. That would be a problem for both of them; Simon would be written off as a soldier with poor nerve control and Alfred wouldn't be able to slip away during the infiltration.

Arthur caught Alfred and Simon staring. He quirked an eyebrow when Alfred made a face at him and jerked his head. Alfred inwardly groaned.

"I'll be right back," he mumbled to Simon and walked towards the royal Spades duo with his hands shoved in his pockets. He imagined he could feel Simon's stare digging into the back of his skull.

"You came," he said flatly when he reached Arthur and Yao.

"You sound disapproving," Arthur noted.

Alfred shrugged as Yao said, "I tried to deter him, but he would have none of it."

"You shouldn't need to deter me in the first place! I am the Queen and I can do as I bloody well please!" Arthur said angrily.

Ugh, he was already pissed. Alfred held back a sigh. "Just 'cause you're the Queen doesn't mean you can do everything and anything."

Arthur whirled on him. "Don't assume you can tell me what to do, Alfred!"

"Dude. Chill," Alfred said as Arthur's eyes blazed. "I'm just saying."

"Saying _what_, exactly?!"

"Like I said before, don't get involved," Alfred said and Arthur snorted. "No, _Arthur_- I'm being serious right now. Don't try to jump in and be the martyr."

"That is precisely what I have been telling him," Yao added.

Arthur visibly bristled. "What makes you think-"

"Because you would do that!" Alfred finally snapped. "Stop arguing back already! Jesh, you're such a pain!"

Arthur sputtered. "_I'm_ a pain? _Me_? What about you, with your- your evading guards and making deals behind my back?!"

Alfred felt his nostrils flair. "That was for my own safety! Plus I _helped_ you by making that deal-!"

"Both of you stop!" Yao said sharply and forced himself in between them. "This is no way to behave before the mission!"

Alfred let himself be pushed back even though he wanted nothing more than to grab Arthur and shake him. Arthur had no right to attack him when he was only trying to help. Arthur shouldn't be here; Yao even agreed with him!

He glared at the ground and didn't watch as Arthur composed himself. Arthur said in a calmer voice, "Yes, you are right as usual, Yao. I apologize. I let my emotions overcome me."

They both glanced at Alfred. He clenched his jaw. If he didn't say anything he could jeopardize his space in this mission regardless of his deal with Yao. He ground out, "I'm sorry. It was not my place to say those things. I apologize, your Majesty." He bowed his head stiffly.

He heard Arthur sigh. "Alfred, stand up straight. There is no need to act so formal."

He straightened. Arthur linked his hands together then unlinked them. After a moment he said, "I came to wish you good luck. And to remind you that you are still a prisoner of war. Under no circumstances are you allowed to wander off on your own and escape. So please do not attempt to do so."

Alfred held back the urge to scoff. They couldn't hold him back if they tried.

All he said though was, "Yeah, I know."

"Excellent. Um." Arthur seemed to be getting increasingly uncomfortable; he fidgeted where he stood. He sent Yao a meaningful glance and Yao turned away and walked towards the spies already assembled. Alfred watched him go then gave Arthur a questioning look.

Arthur- hesitantly- reached out and moved Alfred so they were both angled away from the spies.

"Alfred," Arthur said lowly and squeezed Alfred's arm. "I am entirely serious right now. Do not let yourself get captured. Stay on your feet and stay aware of your surroundings. Do _not_ give them the chance to hurt you."

Alfred felt his eyes soften. He was touched by the heartfelt tone of Arthur's voice.

"Arthur-"

"I-" Arthur swallowed and chewed on his bottom lip. He whispered, "I do not know what I would do if you were injured. In all honesty, Alfred you are one of the few people I consider a friend, and even beyond that I- I-"

Alfred's pulse quickened and his breaths turned shallow. Arthur couldn't be saying what he thought the Queen was saying-

"- I think that, possibly, there might be something going on between the two of us that involves the whole Kingdom of Spades. When you return from this mission- which you _will_ because I will not accept any other outcome- you must show me your Tattoo. Only then shall this matter be put to rest."

Holy _shit_. He was serious. Alfred was officially screwed; Arthur knew- or was at least hinting- that they had a United Bond.

"Arthur," Alfred said, mouth dry. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about-"

"It doesn't matter!" Arthur snapped at him and Alfred grimaced as the Queen's grip on him tightened. "I will explain it to you soon. Just promise me you will stay alive until then."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "I promise I'll stay alive," he said and pried Arthur's fingers off his arm. "Just, like, chill. Okay? You being nervous for me doesn't make _me_ any less nervous."

Arthur ignored him, choosing instead to reach into his purple coat pocket for something. He pulled out something small and held it out to Alfred. The teenager took it gingerly, expecting it to be breakable. To his surprise he found a tiny wooden toy soldier. Its painted face wore a serious expression and his uniform was unlike anything Alfred had ever seen; a fitted red top with black strips crossing to form an 'X' and blue pants. The hat was tall and navy in color.

It was a uniform belonging to no Kingdom. The color scheme convinced him of that.

"What-?" Alfred began to ask.

"It's made with magic. It will protect you if you cannot do it yourself. Just take it, please." Arthur pushed Alfred's hand holding the toy soldier to his chest. "It will give me peace of mind."

"Um. Okay." Alfred tucked the soldier into a spare pocket carefully. He knew better than to ask questions. Even though it was made of wood, the toy seemed fragile somehow.

Something pulled him forward and Alfred stumbled into Arthur's arms. The Queen hugged him tightly, driving the breath out of Alfred's lungs, before releasing him and backing away. The moment passed too quickly for Alfred to react.

"Stay _safe_," Arthur ordered again, giving him a fierce look. His eyes were glossy.

"I-" Alfred started to say but Arthur had turned his back. Alfred stayed where he was, watching Arthur grow smaller until he reached the end of the Training Area and disappeared around the corner. He had mixed feelings about watching Arthur leave but he had an overall sense of sadness and regret, though he didn't know why.

A hand brushed Alfred's arm and he jumped.

"Sorry." Simon stepped away. "We have to go now; the Jack just finished going over the plan one last time. I wanted to let you know I'm restricting your ability to move away from me from now on. I'm not allowed to let you out of my sight when we get to the Clubs Castle."

Alfred didn't know how to respond to that so he just nodded. Simon sounded more in control of himself than he had a few minutes before. He followed Simon back to where the rest of the soldiers stood. He had an odd sensation, like someone was watching him, but when he looked back no one was there.

He swallowed thickly and turned back to Yao, who was passing around Club Ciphs. Everyone knew what they were used for and what they were assigned to do once reaching the Clubs Castle, so all that was left was to wait for the appointed time. A few moments later, Yao made a signal to the general. Everyone stood straighter.

The Wormhole opened with the same whooshing noise as it had many times before. The soldiers began entering silently one by one until it was Simon's turn.

Alfred glanced at Yao. Yao gave him a small smile of encouragement but his eyes seemed dark, somehow. He jerked his head.

It was Alfred's turn.

He stared into the swirling mass of gray, white and black. Taking a deep breath and swallowing down his nerves, Alfred lowered his head and stepped into the vortex. He was swallowed into darkness and Spades disappeared behind him.

-o0o-

"You can't stop loving or wanting to love because when its right it's the best thing in the world. When you're in a relationship and its good, even if nothing else in your life is right, you feel like your whole world is complete."

Keith Sweat


	21. Chapter 18, Clubs Castle

**1/23/2015 **

**I came up with the idea of a Clubs infiltration mission in January 2012. That was **_**three years ago**_**. I never expected that I'd still be working on this after so long when I started in 2011, but alas here we are. I'm going to finish this story. It will happen, I promise. All of your support is very much appreciated!**

**This is a fun chapter. Maybe not for the characters, but I think it's definitely one of the more exciting chapters of this story overall. The timing is important though, so pay attention! With that in mind, happy reading! **

**I do not own Hetalia.**

-o0o-

_Clubs Castle_

Alfred felt like he was dying.

It was dark and cold in the passageway, his breaths coming in puffs of white smoke whenever he gasped for air. He couldn't see anything but the blue orb floating a few dozen paces ahead. Four hours since the start of the infiltration and he _still _had no idea where he was. He didn't know where they were going, either, but he trusted the hand clenching his more than he probably should.

The pair flew past doors and hallways, only turning right once they reached a fork. Alfred tried to be quiet as possible as they ran but he couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

The orb suddenly went out and the Queen of Spades ducked sideways, dragging Alfred along with him. Alfred, not expecting the sharp movement, stumbled into the archway. He gave out a low gasp when Arthur grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the wall, pressing them as flat as possible to the stone.

Alfred breathed slowly so to make as little noise as possible. Now that the light had disappeared he could no longer make out Arthur's silhouette. He could hear him though; the Queen was muttering under his breath. Alfred felt the hairs on his arm stand on end when he realized Arthur was citing a spell.

Arthur finished his incantation and fell silent. Alfred couldn't tell any difference the spell had made except for a strange ghost of wind across the patches of his bare skin.

Alfred's ears picked up on the sound of people running towards their hiding place and his heart jumped to his throat. He reached up and wrapped a hand around Arthur's left arm, which was still holding him in place.

His eyes weren't strong enough to make out Arthur's expression but he thought he could feel Arthur's gaze on his face. Arthur's arm pressed against his chest relaxed and the hand attached to it grasped Alfred's shoulder awkwardly.

_It's alright_, Arthur seemed to say. _We are in this together._

The footsteps were even closer now.

Alfred leaned his head back against the stone and he squeezed his eyes shut. _Oh Ace, please, please, please please pleasepleasepleaseplease-_

-o0o-

_4 Hours Ago (start of mission)_

Alfred fell out of the Wormhole and hit the ground on all fours. In a moment he had rolled to the side, out of the way of others making their way through the magical vortex, and stood up again.

They were in a long hallway, pitch black except for the bursts of light coming from the Wormhole. Even then Alfred could barely make out the men in his group; everyone was wearing thick matching outfits that would protect them from the cold. They were dark green in color so that it would be difficult for anyone to spot them from a distance. Unfortunately it was hard for Alfred to see them too against the dark stone walls.

There was no obvious end to either direction, but air flowed toward them from the opening side of the Wormhole. Alfred was getting a strange sense of creepiness from this place, kind of like the feeling he got when he swam in the middle of the ocean with no hope of seeing- much less _touching_- the bottom. He had no idea what shark might be around the bend.

_Eerie, isn't it?_

Alfred turned and found Simon staring over his shoulder, brow creased.

_Is it how you remembered it?_ Simon asked and his voice vibrated inside Alfred's head.

Alfred grimaced and gave his head a shake. The infiltration team had been linked through a spell by Yao so that they could communicate to each other using direct telepathy rather than speaking out loud. All one had to do was direct his thoughts toward another soldier. The technique had taken some time to practice but they'd perfected it eventually.

_I didn't wander the Castle,_ Alfred said- said? Thought?- _We stayed in the ballroom and that was…_

_Nothing like this,_ Simon supplied.

_Yeah._

It was still weird to Alfred that Simon- and the others- knew that Alfred had been here before. But they thought he had come here as the Jack of Hearts, not as Kiku's friend.

The last of the men entered the hallway and the Wormhole closed in on itself. Alfred squashed the sad feeling of knowing Spades was gone and wouldn't return for another sixteen hours.

_Alright, men!_ That was the leading soldier of the group. _Spread out, stay close to the wall. Stick close together until we learn where we are._

The soldiers did as they were told. Alfred stayed close to Simon's side, knowing that if he strayed more than a couple of feet that Yao's spell would torture his skin on his hands.

They traveled silently for almost an hour. Every time they heard a voice or echo of noise the men spread out and rubbed a blue marble until it glowed. This activated a spell that would blend the men into the surroundings. The trick was to not move or stay too close to one another where the surroundings would appear distorted. A few times actual Clubs soldiers passed by the group but none noticed the Spades and Diamonds men camouflaged into the wall.

They understood from what little of the Clubs Castle they saw that they were traveling through the servants' corridors within the South Wing, a layer below the ground level.

_Well, that explained the freezing cold and no windows thing,_ Alfred thought to himself.

The group split into two at a cross section, then again and again and again. The goal was to get to the room directly above the Throne Room; there, according to Toris was the place where the Clubs Triumvirate kept the most important records. The room was code-named '_Rose_'. The different groups would keep traveling around the Castle until one found the Rose. That group would alert the others, who would rotate around the Castle, picking off Clubs to divert attention. They would all regroup later at the appointed hour when Yao would reopen the Wormhole. Everyone had to be ready to go at that point or they would be left behind, no questions asked.

Alfred prayed his group would be the one to find the Rose, though he knew how unlikely that chance was.

It had been three hours after the start of the infiltration when Alfred and Simon's group came across another group of men that outnumbered their own- except they weren't Spades or Diamonds soldiers.

They were Clubs.

-o0o-

_One Hour Ago (two hours since start of mission)_

_Spades Castle- Queen's Room_

Two hours since the soldiers had left and Arthur could tell that the sound of his pacing footsteps were slowly but surely driving Yao mad, but he could not seem to stop pacing. He was too full of nervous energy to sit still.

"Would you stop that?!" Yao finally snapped from across the room as he stood up and slammed his hands down on the table.

"What if he gets hurt?" Arthur said without missing a beat. He didn't have to give name to the person he was talking about.

"He will not be harmed-" Yao started to say.

"You do not know that!" Arthur said loudly, almost shouting but not quite.

"And neither can you!" Yao snarled back. "Stop assuming the worst! Trust Alfred; he can take care of himself. You worrying will do nothing but turn your hairs grey! You have to stop predicting the future." He sat back down. "You are wasting time; we have work to do."

Arthur glared at his Jack, hands fists at his side. He could not stop worrying about Alfred. Not unless he had absolute proof that his friend would not be hurt or killed or-

_But- he already had that, didn't he_? Arthur thought with dawning realization. Yao said he couldn't predict the future, but he was _wrong_. Arthur had been born with the power to predict the future from the moment he had been crowned Queen of Spades.

He turned his back on Yao and left the room, heading to the Private Study. London was inside his desk- literally enchanted to be a painting on the side of his desk. Only Arthur had the power to draw London from the wood.*

"Arthur?" Yao called from the main room.

Arthur froze. "Yes?" he said, trying to sound casual.

"I must go check on a report about the progress of our defense. I will be back soon."

"Alright."

"Please don't do anything rash while I'm gone." Arthur could hear the narrowed eyes in the tone of Yao's voice even if he couldn't see the expression.

"Of course," he said and he heard the door leading to the hallway shut. He quickly knelt down to touch the clock.

"_Come to me_," he whispered and the clock's outline glowed. London floated out of the wood and became a three dimensional object once more. Arthur picked it up carefully. He rubbed his thumb across the smooth gold siding, noting how warm it was to his touch.

Staring intently at his Eternal Implement, Arthur said very softly, "You know, I have never asked anything of you before."

There was no response, naturally.

"I do not even know why I'm bothering, to be honest. You cannot speak or think so I don't know why expect you to give me what I need." He paused. "But I have to try. I must. I can't stand not knowing what is going on. On the slim chance that you can hear me, please. I'm begging you. Show me that Alfred will be safe."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the top of the clock.

"_Please,_" he begged.

As he said it, the darkness behind his eyes flashed white. He opened them to find London glowing blue. He grinned and within a moment the vision swallowed him whole.

He awoke standing in a dark and narrow hallway. Arthur blinked until he adjusted to the blackness. There was nothing here. Where was 'here', anyway?

A biting coldness lingered in the air and he shivered as he moved cautiously to the end of the hallway.

A shape hurtled past him, faster than he would have expected; the rush of movement was so silent and sudden that Arthur jumped away with gasp.

Immediately following was a loud snapping sound and something flew through the air after the shape. It collided with the thing that was running away and both crashed to the ground. There were grunts and panicked curses but Arthur couldn't make out what was happening from where he stood. Arthur left the safety of his hallway to inch closer.

He knew in an instant the person trapped on the floor was Alfred, and his heart clenched in fear. The teenager was struggling pointlessly with the metal strips binding him without any sign of escape. Arthur wanted desperately to help but he knew he wouldn't be able touch anything in a vision.

Sounds echoed off the walls from down the passage and Arthur was able to make out a few soldiers coming their way. He looked back at Alfred just in time to see the teenager's binds light up with a white flash. When the light disappeared Alfred was able to break free.

_What kind of magic had he used?_ Arthur wondered with wide eyes. Any weapons used by Clubs would have their influence, making it impossible for an outsider to escape-

Alfred had managed though. The teen stood up and threw the Clubs device down before twisting to run away again.

_BANG!_

Arthur stumbled back into the wall just as Alfred cried out in pain. Arthur felt like he was watching in slow motion as Alfred fell, landing on his side before curling into himself.

"_Alfred!_" Arthur screamed in horror and ran to where his friend lay twitching on the ground. Arthur's hands waved helplessly over Alfred's body; he didn't know what to do. He had no training in first aid but he could see blood oozing from where Alfred's hands pressed onto his right shoulder. Alfred was not making any noise but his breathing was ragged and his face was contorted in obvious pain.

Arthur leaned back as Alfred started to move again. Before Alfred could take as much as one step forward, a shadow came over him. Arthur and Alfred found the Clubs soldiers standing over them. One of the men raised a gun-like weapon and leveled it at Alfred's forehead.

"_NO!_" Arthur shrieked and leaped forward just as another voice, seemingly far off yelled, "Arthur!"

The vision froze, then faded away. Arthur cried out wordlessly as Alfred was swallowed into blackness. The last thing he saw was Alfred's face- mouth drawn down in a snarl, skin paler than pale, the Clubs soldiers reflected in his bright blue eyes.

Arthur slammed back into himself, jerking awake so abruptly that it actually hurt to focus on Yao standing in front of him.

"Arthur?! Arthur!"

Yao had him by the shoulders and was shaking him roughly. Arthur's head snapped back and forth.

"Stop," he croaked out. "I said, STOP!" He managed to shove Yao away and used both of his hands to clutch at his head. He had never been forcefully woken up from a vision before. It was akin to waking up with a terrible hangover.

"You were screaming," Yao said. "I didn't know what was wrong. I ran to your Study and you were just- just sitting there, on the ground, holding London and crying hysterically. I didn't know what to do."

Arthur stared at the ground in between his legs, barely listening. He became aware that he was sitting against the wall with his legs pulled up against his chest. He was able to make out a flicker of gold to his right and saw London lying on the ground next to him. The clock was no longer glowing.

Yao must have seen where he was looking for the Jack said, "I had to pry it from your fingers."

Anger boiled inside of Arthur and he turned his gaze to stare menacingly at Yao.

"If you had to pry it from my grasp," he hissed, dropping his hands. "Why did you think it was a _good idea to separate us?!_"

Yao looked taken aback at Arthur's tone. "You- you were in pain."

Arthur used the wall to stand, growling when Yao tried to help. "Let go of me!" he snapped. "I can stand on my own!"

Yao immediately backed off. Arthur picked up London- with difficulty- and put it on his desk. Light glistened off London's sapphire gems but he had a hard enough time simply focusing on the clock's hands.

Two hours. Two hours and fifteen minutes since Alfred had gone. How long until that vision became reality? How long until Alfred was captured?

His field of view tilted sideways and suddenly he was falling. Arms caught him before he hit the ground, pushing him back into a standing position but Arthur could barely make his legs stay straight. He desperately held onto Yao's arms- because of course, who else would have saved him if not for his Jack?- and refused to let go.

"Your Majesty? Are you alright?"

The back of Arthur's eyes prickled and he turned in Yao's grip until his head pressed against his friend's collar. Yao's arms came around him and the pair hugged silently. Arthur refused to cry, but he took strength from the comfort Yao gave so willingly.

"I am sorry," he said and his voice cracked.

"I forgive you. What happened?" Yao asked as Arthur pulled back.

Arthur took a deep breath to compose himself. "London, it- began to glow. The vision I saw-"

"Was it about Alfred?" Yao interrupted, one eyebrow cocked.

Arthur tried not to appear guilty but he must have failed for Yao sighed tiredly. "Why do I even bother asking?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"You've been doing nothing but worrying over him since he left, what else would London show you? What did you see?"

"Alfred was running from Clubs soldiers. They attacked him, and the last thing I saw before you woke me was Alfred's face right before they- they-"

"They won't kill him, Arthur," Yao said and grasped his soldiers firmly. "At worst they'll take him in for questioning."

Arthur frowned and resisted the urge to shrug Yao off again; did he not understand? Even if they did not kill Alfred immediately, they would soon. And regardless… "If Alfred will be in danger, so will the rest of our men. He was alone. That means he was either separated from the rest of the group or they were all killed. The spell you used to connect Alfred and Mister Amuls would stop Alfred from leaving him, correct?"

"I see your point." Yao ran a hand down the side of his face. "Nothing is ever simple, is it?"

"No," Arthur said bitterly.

"What do you want to do about it?"

He took a deep breath. Yao wasn't going to like what he was going to say. "I want you to open up a Wormhole for me so I can go in after our men and save them before the plan goes to hell."

Yao's jaw dropped. It took him a moment to compose himself before he could speak again. "Are you crazy?!" he finally said. "You can't just go after them! You are the Queen of Spades! If they find you-"

"But they won't, not when I can see the future and avoid it."

"That doesn't matter! You can't bring London with you to Clubs."

"Yao." Arthur felt like screaming again. "I have to go. It _has_ to be me. I have been transporting London with me for years and I know how to bring it with me so it's unnoticeable. I am the only one who knows where to find Alfred and the rest of our men. Only I can stop this mission from ending in tragedy."

Yao's eye twitched and he clenched his hands into fists. He was quiet for so long that Arthur was almost afraid to speak, but Arthur knew Yao had to hear this; there is no other way the mission would be successful.

He said quietly, "You know what I'm saying is the truth."

Yao let out a long breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know why I even bother advising you. You never listen to me anyway." He opened his eyes and said in a tired voice, "Go change and get weapons to defend yourself. If you're going to save the mission you should leave as soon as possible."

Fifteen minutes later, Arthur was standing in front of Yao fully equipped and prepared for the extreme temperature change. Arthur's noticeable blonde hair was hidden by a hood and London had been changed into a picture on the inside of his dark green jacket, much like it had been a picture on the side of his desk.

"Are you ready?"

Arthur nodded as he shoved gloves onto his hands. "I am."

Yao drew his sword and sliced the air in front of them. The Wormhole opened, smaller than usual so as not to destroy the room. Yao grabbed Arthur's elbow before he could step into the magic vortex.

"Do not let yourself get captured," Yao said with deadly seriousness. Arthur was reminded of himself giving Alfred the same order not even a day ago, and look where they had ended up.

"I know," he said. Alfred might have been caught off guard, but Arthur could not afford it. He would make it back.

"Is there any way you can see if you'll make it out alive?"

"I haven't been able to get anything else from London," Arthur admitted. "But London was made to aid Spades through me and Spades won't be safe without a Queen. I know without a doubt that London will warn me if my future puts Spades in danger; it won't let me fall into Clubs hands without sending a vision my way first."

Yao relaxed marginally. "You're right. But it would still make me feel better if you would give me updates to your condition. I won't open the Wormhole again until the decided time, you understand that right?"

"Yes."

"Good." He hugged Arthur again, holding onto him tight. "Get back safe. Even if not for Spades, please do it for me. You are the only true friend I have."

Arthur swallowed thickly. "The same is true for me, old friend. I promise I will return."

Yao released him. "That is all I wanted to hear. I will see you soon, then."

"See you soon." Arthur stepped into the Wormhole without looking back. Alfred had been gone for two hours and thirty minutes.

_Hang on, Alfred. I'm coming for you._

-o0o-

_Forty-five minutes later (three hours and fifteen minutes since start of mission)_

_Clubs Castle_

The fight between Alfred and Simon's group and the Clubs soldiers lasted a long time. It had spread out as the fighting grew more intense, making it impossible for Alfred to keep track of the men from his group. Their thoughts were a jumbled mess inside of his head that distracted him more than helped. After a while he tuned it out to background noise.

Eventually it was just him and Simon fighting a three Clubs in a small room a few hallways down from the one where they'd been ambushed. Simon preferred to fight with a long sword while Alfred used a nearly silent gun and daggers. He'd tried the sword and while he'd been good at it, it just wasn't his style.

There was no sound expect for the clashing of metal on metal and grunts of pain. Alfred ducked a punch and jammed his gun into the Clubs' side. Without hesitation he pulled the trigger and the man flew across the room, crashing into the opposite wall. He wasn't dead, just stunned, but he would be out for the rest of the fight.

"Gyah!"

Alfred turned just in time to see Simon thrown back into a wall. A second Clubs soldier advanced on him, punching, kicking, and doing absolutely anything he could to pound Simon into the stone.

"No-!" Alfred yelled and moved to help, but the third soldier blocked his path. Alfred threw up an arm and his dagger stopped the sword from slicing him in half one second before it was too late. From underneath his arms Alfred saw the Clubs soldier hit Simon over the head with the bunt of his sword. Simon collapsed.

Simon's attacker raised his weapon.

"SIMON!" Alfred hit the ground and slid under his attacker's legs. The Clubs' sword clanged against the ground behind him. Alfred threw one of his daggers as he stood and turned in time to duck out of the way of a fist.

He heard a cry of pain from the third Club behind him and allowed himself a small smile; his dagger had hit its mark. It gave Simon some time, but how much?

Alfred sidestepped another punch and jabbed the second Clubs' pressure points- something he'd learned in Hearts- until the soldier fell shakily to the ground. He wouldn't get up any time soon.

There was a footstep directly behind him. Alfred picked up the sound, twisting around to find Simon's possible murderer coming at him with Alfred's dagger in his leg and a murderous expression on his face. Alfred threw another dagger from his pocket; it snagged the man in the upper arm, stalling his advancement and giving Alfred the time he needed to fire his stun gun.

The third and final Club fell but Alfred was already running past him to where Simon lay still on the floor. His thoughts were a jumble of words- _Please, not Simon. He's a good man with a loyal heart to Spades, he never did anything to hurt me even though I was the enemy, he saved my life back at the Pentagon, please he's my _friend-!

Alfred slid to the ground besides Simon and tried to find a heartbeat. He felt it within seconds, and he could breathe easier. Thank Ace, something had gone okay.

_Is anyone out there?_

Alfred's head snapped up. It was the general's voice. _I'm here!_

_Where are you, soldier?_

_I'm not sure. _He looked around. There was nothing noticeable in the room that he could see, just a couple of green couches and chairs with another door opposite the one in front of him. _Simon Amuls and I were separated from our group and chased to a room down the hall. Simon is alive, but he's hurt and unconscious._

_Is the wound fatal?_

Alfred gently moved Simon's head to examine where the soldier had hit him. He had several scratches and he would need time to recover, but he _would_ recover. Eventually. _No, it's not fatal but he needs medical attention as soon as possible._

_Understood. Take him back to the entry point and wait there until the Wormhole opens. All the groups were found by Clubs but my group is mostly intact. We will try to find the Rose while any survivors protect the location of the Wormhole so we can leave Clubs together-_

_Uh, sir, _Alfred interrupted, staring through the open door. _That won't be possible._

_Why is that?_

_There are more Clubs soldiers headed my way. I can see them heading down the hall._

_Soldier, do not-_

_I'm casting an invisibility spell on Simon, _Alfred told the general in a split second decision_. Others'll be able to find him if I can't make it back. But I have to go; if I stay here I'll be killed._

_Do not disobey me, I'm warning you-!_

Alfred closed his mind off to the general. The consequences from staying here and being found by the Clubs were far worse than what he would be punished for disobeying orders.

"_Disappear_," he whispered and focused on making Simon blend into the surroundings. The original invisibility spell had worn off once they'd been attacked. This would reactivate it.

Once Simon was safe, Alfred stood up and backed away from the door. The Clubs soldiers were running towards his room but he didn't know if they had spotted him yet. He started to run towards the opposite end of the room.

"Halt!" a voice commanded.

_Yup, _Alfred thought with increased panic. _They know I'm here._

He yanked the exit door open and pelted down the hall. His only chance to escape was to lose the men on his tail. Most of his bullets had been used already and daggers would do him little good against ten men. There was nothing else he could use, except-

Something stung his cheek and the wall besides his head exploded.

He yelled out, throwing his arms up to protect himself. He tripped over his own feet yet somehow managed to keep running. He had no idea what the hell they had just thrown at him, but if they could nail one of those on his body he would be goner for sure.

And then- just when he thought his luck couldn't get any worse- his hands began to glow bright blue, meaning that he was outside of Simon's range.

Alfred screamed from pain then- the first time since the start of the mission- because it felt like his hands were on fire. He went down on two knees and held his hands to his chest. He could have kept running even in his poor condition but the agony coming from his hands put him over the edge.

_I have to neutralize the spell,_ Alfred told himself. But the Clubs would be on him before he could do anything, how could he-

Arthur's toy soldier.**

Alfred didn't give himself a moment to doubt. He reached inside his jacket and threw the toy soldier behind him. The toy tripled in size, growing as tall as the ceiling. Alfred heard the Clubs crash to a halt and there were sounds of fighting and cries of fear.

Alfred focused instead on releasing his hands from the pain. Breathing in and out as evenly as he could, he told himself, _You do not belong to Spades. You do not belong to anyone. You are neutral, you are No-Man's-Land, you are the Wild Card-_

The fire in his hands began to ebb. Almost sobbing in relief, Alfred screwed his eyes shut and focused even harder on the task at hand. Within moments the pain was gone.

Alfred opened his eyes and looked over at Arthur's soldier. It had held the Clubs off enough for him to get rid of Simon's spell, but the Clubs were starting to make a breakthrough. The toy soldier's right arm had been chopped off and it was having trouble blocking the men from getting past.

Well, Alfred wasn't going to wait around for that to happen. He wiped his eyes and stumbled trying to stand but then he was on his feet again, running like his life depended on it- because, really, it did. And he made sure to be silent this time, a trick he had also learned during Hearts training. If the Clubs couldn't hear or see him in the dark how would they catch him?

There was a triumphant yell behind him and he knew instinctively that the toy soldier was gone. Alfred's heart fell; he felt bad, in a weird way. The toy soldier wasn't living, but the thing had saved Alfred's life. What would Arthur tell him when he told the Queen that he had destroyed-?

He heard a snapping sound rapidly approaching and something suddenly wrapped around his legs, making it impossible to keep moving. His head collided with the ground. Stars exploded behind his eyes, leaving him momentarily stunned.

While his brain took a moment to recover, his hands reached down to undo the binds, seemingly of their own accord. But to his dismay, the binds were somehow impossible to separate.

_Magic,_ Alfred thought, breathing hard, and concentrated. _Neutral, he was neutral, no Clubs trap could bind him-_

The thing ensnaring his legs flashed a bright white and fell off. Alfred scrambled to stand, turning on his heel to escape-

_BANG!_

"NO!"

Alfred was pushed sideways just as a bullet pierced the air where he'd been standing. Someone had thrown him out of the way and was now gasping against his chest. Alfred's mind was still sluggish from when he had fallen and he found it impossible to focus on his savior's features. Who had come to his rescue this time-?

"Let's go!" his savior said, grabbing his wrist and pelting down the hall. Alfred was slow at first, surprised at what had just occurred, but soon sped up. The pair raced down the hallway and took the first left, ducking into an unlit room with one window.

The stranger shut the door behind Alfred and locked the door. Alfred leaned heavily on his knees, wheezing and coughing for air. The floor beneath him swam and his mouth tasted of metal.

"Are you alright?" The stranger moved forward with an outstretched hand. "Did they harm you-?"

Alfred slapped the hand away and stumbled back, dizzy from lack of air and the recent stress on his body. The stranger stayed where he was, hand hanging in the air.

"Who-" Alfred stopped to cough again while the other waited silently. "Who the _hell_ are you?! I don't recognize you from my party. What do you want from me?"

"Alfred, please-"

"H-how do you know my name?" Alfred was scared now. He didn't think he could escape after what he'd been through. If this man knew his name, did he know that Alfred was the Wild Card?

The stranger made a strange gesture and a blue orb of light appeared in the air to their right. Alfred had to turn from the brightness, but when his eyes adjusted, he was able to see the face of his savior.

Alfred's jaw dropped. "_A-Arthur?!_"

The Queen of Spades pulled back his hood, revealing a familiar mop of blonde hair to match emerald eyes. It was Arthur, alright; Alfred had never met another person with eyebrows as fuzzy as Arthur's.

Arthur gave him a small smile. "Hello, Alfred." His voice was much quieter than Alfred's.

Alfred sputtered, fighting to give into the wave of relief that made him want to hug Arthur and cry his exhaustion out. "Wha- what are you- why- no, what are you _doing_ here?! I thought I told you-"

"I wasn't about to let you get killed!" Arthur spoke over him with flashing eyes. "I saw a vision in London and knew you were going to be captured by the Clubs if I didn't do anything."

Alfred scowled. "That doesn't mean you should come charging in after me! If they get to you the war is as good as won!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Its touching that you think so highly of yourself. You may be important to me, but my own personal reason is not the sole motivation for my interference. If you were in trouble, so are the rest of my men. I can see the future and I came here to save the infiltration from being a complete and utter failure. Saving your arse is a perk."

Alfred felt his cheeks warm as began to snarl something at Arthur. He had a lot of nerve barging into Clubs to save Alfred's life- yeah, Arthur wanted to help the other soldiers but he knew Arthur probably wouldn't have come just for them- only to end up insulting him! How in the world did Yao let Arthur come here-?!

There were noises outside of the locked door, and the last thing Alfred saw was Arthur's face go pale before the orb of light dissolved. Alfred immediately shut up, listening intently. He was afraid to breathe.

Shadows from Clubs caused the light under the door to flicker several times before their footsteps faded away. Arthur let the orb come back, but this time its light had dimmed. It would be unnoticeable to anyone from the hallway.

"So," Arthur said and Alfred reluctantly looked at him. The Queen was very composed for the perilous situation they were in, head held high and hands clasped together in front of him. "Do you wish to keep arguing or shall we move on?"

He strode past Alfred towards a wall covered in portraits. The orb moved with him, leaving Alfred in the dark. Alfred let out a frustrated sigh and followed, his headache from the fall clearing with every step. There was nothing else he could do, despite wanting to grab Arthur and run for the hills. He wasn't going to stay here and let the Clubs find the Queen, that was for sure.

Arthur wordlessly held out his hand. He gave Alfred a pointed glare when the teenager did nothing but stare. Alfred slowly reached out to take it. Arthur pulled him forward and, to Alfred's immense shock, they passed straight through the stone into the adjacent ballroom.

Alfred took a shuddering breath once they had passed safely through. "How did you do that?" he asked shakily.

"Magic, what else? Now-" he began to walk again and Alfred trotted after him. "-tell me what happened?"

"We were found by the Clubs soldiers. The invisibility or blending in spell or whatever it was couldn't keep them from noticing us. Something similar happened to the other groups based on what the general was saying."

"What was the fate of those in your group?" They were halfway across the floor. "What of Mister Amuls?"

"Simon and I were separated from everybody else. He was taken down and badly hurt while we fought off three Clubs but it's not fatal. I renewed the invisibility spell on him before I left him; more Clubs were coming my way. Oh, and I used the toy soldier you gave me and he saved my life, but he kinda, um, died?"

"That's alright. He was supposed to be used as collateral. His job was to protect you and that's what he did. Mister Amuls' connection spell hasn't affected you yet?"

Alfred's heartbeat sped up but he lied, "No. I think he expanded the range a ton before we left Spades, in case something like this happened."

Arthur stopped in front of the double oak doors and faced Alfred, expression serious. "Can you get into contact with the general?"

Alfred sent out a word from his mind but there was no response. A bad feeling started to grow in his gut. "There's nothing…"

Arthur nodded. "I expected as much."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Clubs suspected that we would try to infiltrate their Castle."

"What? How? Is there a traitor-"

Arthur cut him short. "No. I doubt it. They simply know how desperate Spades and Diamonds are and they probably figured it was only a matter of time before we pulled a stunt like this. Yao is strengthening Spades' defenses as we speak."

"So what does that mean for the rest of the mission? Do we save everyone and get out of here?"

Arthur was already shaking his head before Alfred could finish. "We have to finish this mission. If Spades doesn't learn what Clubs' plans are we will lose this war. You and I are going to find the Rose and then we will save the rest of our men. One way or another this mission will not fail."

And with that, he opened one of the oak doors and started to run into the hallway with Alfred a step behind him.

-o0o-

_Present (four hours since start of mission)_

The pair flew past doors and hallways, only turning right once they reached a fork. Alfred tried to be quiet as possible as they ran but he could barely hear anything over the pounding of his heart.

The orb suddenly went out and Arthur ducked sideways, dragging Alfred along with him. Alfred, not expecting the sharp movement, stumbled into the archway. He gave out a low gasp when Arthur grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the wall, pressing them as flat as possible to the stone.

Alfred breathed slowly so to make as little noise as possible. Now that the light had disappeared he couldn't see Arthur. He could hear him though; the Queen was muttering under his breath. Alfred felt the hairs on his arm stand on end when he realized Arthur was citing a spell.

Arthur finished his incantation and fell silent. Alfred couldn't tell any difference the spell had made except for a strange ghost of wind across the patches of his bare skin.

Alfred's ears picked up on the sound of people running towards their hiding place and his heart jumped to his throat. He reached up and wrapped a hand around Arthur's left arm, which was still holding him in place.

His eyes weren't strong enough to make out Arthur's expression but he thought he could feel Arthur's gaze on his face. Arthur's arm pressed against his chest relaxed and the hand attached to it grasped Alfred's shoulder awkwardly.

_It's alright_, Arthur seemed to say. _We are in this together._

The footsteps were even closer now.

Alfred leaned his head back against the stone and he squeezed his eyes shut. _Oh Ace, please, please, please please pleasepleasepleaseplease-_

A light illuminated the back of his eyelids for a mere second before flashing away again. The soldiers followed soon after, their boots making terrible and loud noises when they hit the ground, but to Alfred's immense relief, none of the men stopped. He held his breath until all had passed, only allowing himself to relax after their footsteps were too distant for him to hear.

Beside him, Arthur let out a sigh.

"That was bloody close," he said quietly.

"You think?" Alfred whispered back. His voice shook.

The light orb blinked back into existence and Alfred winced. When he could see again properly, Arthur was watching him with worry.

"Are you alright?"

"Does it matter?" Alfred asked through gritted teeth. "We could get captured at any second, we have to keep moving no matter what or else someone will find us."

"My spell-" Arthur began to say.

"-will only work a handful of times," Alfred interrupted impatiently, though still whispering. "The spell wares off and the guards will have spell-repellant stones or some other stupid magic stuff like that! We have to keep going, c'mon!"

He darted out into the hallway again with Arthur's hand once again clutched in his.

They ran for a long, long time. They went left and right, up and up. In between ambushes by Clubs soldiers, Alfred explained that they were currently using servants' corridors that were less used by the average Club. That was why the temperature was so much colder and there were less places to hide than would be expected. They needed to go up several floors and get to the North Wing for the Rose was directly above the Clubs Throne Room.

By now both Arthur and Alfred were bruised and bleeding. Arthur seemed to feel the need to jump in front of Alfred whenever anything remotely dangerous was aimed at him. In response, Alfred had begun to push Arthur out of harm's way; Arthur then resorted to magic to stop Alfred from getting beaten to a pulp.

"Did you just _collapse a ceiling on top of them?!_" Alfred panted with disbelief as the pair sprinted away from their latest attackers.

"What did you expect me to do?!" Arthur snapped. "I won't let you continuously sacrifice yourself for me, eventually there will be nothing left of you!" They opened another door and crossed a huge room with portraits covering the walls.

Alfred glared at him sideways. "You have no faith in me, do you?"

"Of course I do! I would not have sent you on this mission if I didn't think you could handle yourself. But you keep getting more and more hurt every time we must fight, and if I have to drop a few ceilings then I will-"

"Stop!" a voice commanded behind them.

Alfred did what he was told out of reflex, grabbing Arthur's arms so the two slowed to a stop.

Someone walked toward them in the dark. Arthur's eyes were both furious and fearful at the same time. They seemed to scream, _what the bloody hell are you thinking?!_

"What are you two doing here?" the person commanded. Alfred swallowed thickly and faced the man in front of them.

He had straight, chin-length straw blond hair and green almond-shaped eyes. He had simple green clothes on that were rumpled, as if he had just come straight from bed. There was nothing about his appearance that suggested animosity- he didn't even have a weapon on him- but Alfred was wary regardless.

Alfred straightened and gave a solute. "Sir, there are intruders in the Castle."

The guy's eyebrows shot up. "Like, seriously? Since when?"

"A few hours ago," Alfred responded. There was something about this man…why did he seem so familiar?

"Well, that's like totally a bummer," he sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Russia will throw a fit for sure. But don't tell him I said that!" He waved a hand at them.

"Er. Yeah, sure."

The blonde winked at him. "Thanks, darling. Do you know any safe places to stay until you soldiers take care of the situation? Normally I would have gone to Toris, but he's been gone for so long now…"

His voice trailed off. His expression lost all mirth and morphed into sadness. Something clicked in Alfred's mind.

"You're Poland!" he blurted out. Arthur shot him an alarmed look.

"Yeah, that's right." Poland smiled again, though it was smaller than before. "Did you like not recognize me without my uniform?"

That was a terrible mistake, Alfred thought but kept the panic off his face. "Yes. I apologize, sir." He bowed.

"No need for that! I hate bowing, it reminds me too much of Spades. Just go about your duty; I'll manage find a safe spot to hide on my own. Off you go."

He didn't have to tell them twice. Alfred turned away and walked briskly in the direction they were originally heading. Arthur trotted to keep up at his side.

"What was that all about?" Arthur demanded once they were out of earshot.

Alfred winced. "Sorry. I recognized him from one of Toris' stories about Clubs."

"Is that what you were talking about? I couldn't understand a word of what you were saying while you were speaking in Russian."

Alfred halted and Arthur practically walked into him. "I was speaking Russian?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Arthur rubbed his nose, grumbling, "Yes, how else would you have understood what a Clubs was saying?"

"Huh, weird. I didn't even realize."

"Your obliviousness truly astounds me, Alfred. Truly."

"You're so mean!" Alfred whined, but he was smiling. He took Arthur's hand again- it was reassuring to have something to hold onto- and they took off again.

"Are we any closer to the Rose?" Arthur wheezed behind him nearly thirty minutes later.

Alfred skidded to a halt as they reached the end of the hallway. "I think so. We're either on the right floor or we have to find some stairs-" He peaked around the corner to find a huge cavern, completely deserted. He froze in midsentence. "-what the heck?"

Arthur moved past him to see. "An empty room?"

"I guess. I don't know why though. It looks like a dead end to me."

"Perhaps not." His hand slid out of Alfred's before the teen could stop him.

Alfred reached out to grab Arthur's sleeve but the Queen was already too far. "Arthur!" he hissed but was ignored. He quickly ran to catch up. He wasn't going to leave Arthur alone, what if-

"What if it's a trap?" he echoed his thoughts.

Arthur's arm shot out in front of him and halted Alfred in his tracks. The Queen held up two fingers to his mouth, eyes closed. He whispered, "_Reveal._" and opened his eyes. His fingers moved from his lips to point to the empty room in front of them. Instantly, a grey-sh cloud started to form at their feet.

Alfred bit on his lip to keep himself from yelling out in surprise. As the cloud began to rise from the floor towards the ceiling, he looked back at the passageway they had come from. So far, there was no sign of any Clubs.

When he turned around there were red lines zig-zagging back and forth across the room.

"What are they?" he asked with a frown.

"Magic of some kind," Arthur said as he studied one of them. "Don't touch them; they might set off an alarm."

"Well, there's nothing here anyway. I say we just keep searching-"

"Why would Russia have an empty room guarded by such high level magic?" Arthur said, one hand clasping his chin.

"Does it matter?" Alfred said. He didn't understand why Arthur was so focused on this room.

"I would say yes. If the room is protected, that means there must be a reason. Magic is taxing so there must always be a reason to use it. If the reason can't be seen-"

"-then it must be hidden," Alfred finished with a quirk of his lips.

"Precisely. This must be the location of the Rose. The only barrier are these red lines."

Alfred chewed on his bottom lip. "What if there are hidden threats? Like, people hiding in the ceiling ready to shoot us at any second if we try to get past this- this- thing?" He gestured.

Arthur narrowed his green eyes; Alfred could see them flickering from the orb's blue light. Arthur said, "I will find out."

Alfred's eyebrows jumped up. "Oh yeah? How?"

Arthur unzipped his black jacket and pulled the right side back so Alfred could see the interior. He gasped when he saw an image of London sown within the cloth. He said, "Is that London? The real one?"

"Yes."

"Why'd you bring it here for?!" He closed Arthur's jacket and tried to zip it up. "If someone gets it-"

"Well, they _won't_!" Arthur said as he wrestled Alfred's hands off of him. "I won't let them! But I need to use it if we're going to make it past those things." He nodded at the red lines.

"I don't like this," Alfred admitted with a shake of his head.

"You don't have to," Arthur retorted and Alfred felt a twitch of annoyance.

"Fine, whatever. Have it your way," Alfred grumbled. He spun on his heel and headed over to the hallway entrance. He muttered under his breath, "It's not like I care about us making out alive or anything."

"What was that?" Arthur said in a suspicious tone.

Alfred didn't bother turning back around. "Nothing! Just go do your thing. I'll stand guard."

Even without facing him, Alfred could tell Arthur wanted to argue back. But Arthur's duty won out before his emotions, like Alfred knew it would, and he heard the Queen settle on the cold ground behind him. Alfred peaked around the corner just far enough to watch for Clubs. He saw the stones facing him reflect blue and knew Arthur was seeing a vision. All he had to do was wait.

-o0o-

London burst with light. The vision seemed to shoot forward and drag Arthur in, face first. The last thing he saw was Alfred's back as he stood guard.

Arthur blinked as the room swam back into focus. He knew he was in a vision, for the edges of his view were blurred. He saw himself, standing to the side, watching Alfred, who was walking towards the red beams. Arthur clenched his hands into fists; the urge to stop Alfred was all too real even thought this vision wasn't.

Alfred stopped in front of the red lines and hesitated.

"Can you do it or not?" the Arthur in the vision asked curtly.

"I can do it, just give me a sec!" Alfred snapped back. The real Arthur grimaced. Was he really so harsh with Alfred? The teen had been through so much in the last few hours. Arthur could make out the dried blood the side of Alfred's face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were smudged brown and black with dirt. It was a miracle his glasses hadn't broken.

Alfred took a deep breath and reached out. The moment his hands touched the red lines, they turned bright white. The white spread from where he had touched it and as soon as the whole line was white, it disappeared. Alfred moved onto the next line and then the next. Soon there were no red lines left.

"No archers hiding in the shadows," the other Arthur said.

"Not yet," Alfred corrected. He took out the glowing Clubs Ciph. "C'mon. Let's find out what those Clubs are up too."

And with that he threw the Clubs Ciph on the ground. The stones flipped where the Ciph landed to leave a gaping hole. The hole grew, swallowing the Arthur and Alfred from the vision, along with the real Arthur.

He gasped as he fell and threw up his arms instinctively, but no hard landing came. When he tentatively opened his eyes, he was back in the real world. London was lying innocently in his lap and Alfred was still watching for Clubs.

Arthur cleared his throat. Alfred's head whipped around, face white.

His stomach flipped uncomfortably. "What is it?" He spoke barely above a whisper.

"Clubs. Headed our way. If we're gonna do this, we have to do it _now_."

Arthur swore and forced London to meld back into his coat. Alfred was there within a second, grabbing him up by the arm before he had even finished.

"What do we do?" Alfred demanded, grasping Arthur's upper arms so tightly it hurt.

The intensity of his gaze made Arthur's mind go blank. "You- you have to make the lines disappear," Arthur stuttered.

Alfred blanched. He dropped his arms and stepped back. "What?"

"You heard me," Arthur said. He could hear footsteps coming from the hallway opening now. His heart jumped to his throat and he swallowed thickly. "I don't know how you do it. But you do, obviously, according to my vision. And you must if we are to survive this."

Alfred's expression clouded over abruptly, making it impossible for Arthur to tell what the teenager was thinking. Arthur tried not to feel hurt and ignored the creeping suspicion that Alfred was hiding something from him. For all his friendliness and openness with Arthur, Alfred was a Heart. He had been trained to quickly block all emotions and give nothing away.

The footsteps were growing louder.

Arthur's hands started to shake, and this time it had nothing to do with the cold. He leaned around Alfred. There on the opposite wall there was a dim reflection of greenish light. The Clubs would be here soon if they didn't act-

"I can do it," Alfred said. He brushed past Arthur and stepped up to the first red line. Unlike the vision, Alfred moved with speed and without hesitation. His hand jumped forward to touch the red line without any sense of doubt. He moved onto the next before the first had evaporated. Arthur winced as the lights changed colors.

To his shock, the red lines didn't turn white; instead they become a dark forest green. _Why_ were they green?

Alfred had barely finished before Arthur was stammering, "H-how did you do that?"

Alfred yanked out the glowing Clubs Ciph and threw in on the ground. "The Ciph disables the defenses too." He threw an uneasy look over his shoulder at the hallway opening. They could hear the Clubs' voices now, yelling orders and the terrible scratching noise of swords being drawn.

Arthur's gaze fell to the floor. The hole on the ground from the Ciph was growing larger. It was almost at Alfred's feet. Soon they would-

"Arthur!" Alfred's terrified cry jerked Arthur out of his stupor.

He twisted around to see a group of Clubs soldiers standing in the hallway entrance. One was aiming an arrow right at his chest.

Arthur did not wait for that to happen. He ducked just in time for the arrow to sail over his head. It buried itself in the opposite wall but by then Arthur was already on the move.

Arthur sprinted over to Alfred's side, gasping for breath. The teenager reached out with his arm even as he started to fall through the hole. Arthur leaped.

A knife flew past his head, only a few inches from its target. Arthur's hand curled around Alfred's-

And then there was nothing.

When Arthur came to, he was lying on his back. He blinked up at the wood ceiling several times before attempting to sit up.

A sharp flare of pain on his right side stopped him from moving too much. He struggled to breathe evenly, gasping in short breaths. The stinging was agonizing, but not unbearable. He concentrated on the air in his lungs for now.

"Are you okay?"

Arthur's eyes looked up to meet startling blue ones.

"Alfred," Arthur said and felt his body relax marginally. The teenager smiled tiredly and knelt down next to him. Alfred's hood was off, revealing matted gold hair.

"Can I check it out?" Alfred asked, gesturing to Arthur's side.

Arthur nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Alfred gently moved Arthur's arm out of the way and leaned down. Arthur felt feather-light touches to where the pain was emanating and let out a low hiss.

"Sorry," Alfred muttered but continued his examination. "It's not that bad. You have a gash there, probably from one of those earlier fights in the servants' corridors. It probably happened when you pushed me out of the way of a dagger or something and it nicked you instead….The cut's shallow though, so that's good. Here-"

Arthur heard a ripping noise and saw Alfred tearing pieces of his undershirt off.

"No, Alfred, that is unnecessary-" he began to protest weakly.

Alfred scoffed. "Shut up, Arthur. And I mean that nicely. It's my fault you're hurt so at least let me help you. Drink this." He shoved a pill and his water jug into Arthur's numb hands.

Arthur did what he was told. The water felt good going down his parched throat. Soon Alfred finished treating Arthur's wound and he took back his water jug. Arthur's pain was slowly ebbing, leaving him to once again focus on the chilling temperature of the air.

"Th-thank you," he said through chattering teeth.

"No problem." Alfred gripped Arthur's waist- deliberately avoiding Arthur's wound- and helped him to stand. Arthur normally would have been ashamed at his lack of strength but as of now he was too exhausted. He leaned heavily on Alfred, letting Alfred's body warmth spread through to his own body.

Arthur gazed around. They were in a room shaped like a half circle, on wall completely straight while the other curved. The curved wall could barely be called a wall at all; it was more of a digital screen with numbers, images and various information being uploaded too quickly for Arthur to focus on any of them.

There were no doors.

"This is the Rose?" Alfred's voice echoed around the empty room. He sounded wary.

"I assume so," Arthur said grimly. "It is similar in appearance to what Toris described. Help me over-"

Alfred led Arthur to the digital screen. Now that they were closer Arthur could tell that it was nearly double his height. Thankfully there was a control table a foot from the screen that came up to Arthur's waist. Alfred carefully lowered Arthur into the metal chair behind the table that faced the screen.

Arthur frowned down at the buttons, levers and cords that covered every available square inch of the table. How in the world did anyone keep track of all these bloody controls?!

"Is this, like, a control panel or something?" Alfred asked besides him.

"I am not sure. I don't even know where to start."

"Do you-" Alfred faltered and Arthur glanced up at him. The teenager was chewing on his lip.

"What is it?" Arthur said.

"Do you think the Clubs can get through here and attack us again?" Alfred expression was tense and Arthur reached out to squeeze his arm. Some of the lines in Alfred's face smoothed out at Arthur's reassuring gesture.

"I do not think so," he answered honestly. "They do not have the Ciph or else they would have been here already, yes?"

Alfred nodded slowly, obviously uncertain for whatever reason. It caused Arthur's suspicion from earlier to rise once more and Arthur quickly looked away to hide his face; Alfred could be dangerously perceptive when he wished to be.

His mind whirled as he stared down at the buttons. Alfred had claimed the Ciph had deactivated the red lines above. But that was not…true. It couldn't be. The red lines turned white in his vision, not green. Green represented Clubs, of course, but white was something else entirely. A Clubs Ciph could not create those white lines. White had no Kingdom. White and grey they were colors worm at the Gathering in No-Man's-Land, in _Alhliða_-

"Arthur?" Alfred's voice broke his thoughts. "We don't really have a lot of time, so-"

"Yes, yes, of course. You are right." He pushed his doubts to the side. Those would have to wait.

He studied the control panel in front of him. "Er, I do not suppose you know what to do?" he asked Alfred.

Alfred shot him a withering glare. "What makes you think I know how this thing works?! My group wasn't even supposed to make it here; we were the distraction. You're the Queen- shouldn't you know what to do?"

Arthur flinched. "I was busy attending other matters! I was never supposed to be a part of this either!"

"Well, that makes two of us." Alfred ran a hand through his hair and let out an elongated sigh. "We could always push some random buttons and see what happens."

Arthur fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I doubt that will work." Then he noticed the words written on the board. He squinted at the letters but they made little sense to him. They were in Russian. He knew some Russian, of course, being the Queen of Spades but he hadn't practiced nearly as much as he should have. If only someone nearby could speak a variety of languages-

"Alfred!" he exclaimed, hope making his heart race.

"Wha- ow! Hey!"

Arthur had grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to Arthur's level. "Can you read this?" Arthur asked excitedly.

Alfred narrowed his eyes. He mouthed some words silently as he read and Arthur said impatiently, "_Well?_ Can you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's just a bunch of direction stuff." He pointed to a green button in the center. "That says 'play'. That black one there says 'select'. There's an alphabet thing over to the right. The arrows are obviously arrows-"

"Is there a start option anywhere?"

"Um." Alfred glanced over the board quickly. "No. I'll check under it though."

He got down on his knees and crawled beneath the table. Arthur fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to do. They couldn't waste much time here.

There was a loud slapping sound and the buttons lit up as if illuminated from behind. Arthur leaned back just as the digital screen in front of him froze. As he watched the screen went dark.

"Alfred-" he began to say before the screen turned a startling bright green. The light hurt his eyes and he grimaced.

"We need a code," Alfred said. He had come out from under the table and was now kneeling besides Arthur. Arthur followed his gaze to see words flying across the screen. It ended with a blinking line, indicating that words must be typed in.

"If we don't have the right code," Alfred continued to read out loud. "It says it'll warn the Triumvirate. And we'll be stuck here until they come to get us."

Arthur sucked in a breath. "Alright. Do you-?"

"Move over," Alfred ordered and Arthur automatically shifted out of the way. Alfred leaned across him and pressed several of the buttons, hands moving swiftly over the keyboard. Arthur watched helplessly, hating his own uselessness. He was the Queen of Spades; he should be the one in charge here. Yet he was completely out of his depth.

When Alfred stopped, both turned toward the screen. Arthur held his breath. _Please, Ace, let this work-_

The screen blinked and the words Alfred typed disappeared. Then- faster than Arthur's eyes could follow- collections of pictures, files, words, maps and more flashed across the screen. They organized themselves into twenty separate groups across the wall before a minute was up. And then everything was still.

Arthur gaped at Alfred in awe. "How did you know what to do? What in the world did you type?"

The teen flushed. "I. Um. It was a name, Toris- he told me. Only the head general of our group was supposed to know but-"

"You are always getting into situations you should not be in, aren't you?" Arthur massaged his temples. He needed a vacation. No, he _deserved_ a vacation after all this mess was over. Maybe someplace warm. He shivered and rubbed his arms. Very warm.

"Sorry," Alfred said lamely. He did not sound sorry at all, Arthur thought sourly.

"We'll talk about this later," Arthur said firmly. It was a promise. "We must look through this quickly and leave as soon as possible."

"What do you want me to do?" Alfred asked without missing a beat.

Arthur felt a rush of warmth. Alfred hadn't even hesitated. Alfred was here for him and that was all that mattered in that moment. Arthur would not have made it this far without his help.

"I am glad you're the one here with me," he said sincerely.

Alfred's face flared bright red. He looked so flabbergasted that Arthur almost laughed out loud.

"It's been a long time since I've made someone make that face," he said, mouth twitching.

"I-" Alfred made a face. "Shut up, Arthur."

Arthur did laugh at that. In fact, he laughed so hard that Alfred had to hit him over the head to get him to stop.

"Ow," Arthur grunted, still smirking despite himself. His sides were hurting even more now but he didn't care. He didn't know whether he was going insane or was just too fatigued to function normally, but he hadn't felt this light in ages.

"Calm down," Alfred muttered. "Jeez."

A pause.

"I'm really glad you're with me too," Alfred admitted quietly. Arthur's cheeks flamed. Suddenly it was not as cold as it had been a few minutes ago.

"Yes. Well." Arthur cleared his throat and looked at the screen. "I will go through this, you go-"

"Find a way out?" Alfred suggested.

"Yes, you do that."

Alfred nodded, still looking somewhat uncomfortable, and turned away.

Arthur started with the file to the left. The program was easy to manage using the arrow keys. He only had to call Alfred back once to ask where the 'back' button might be.

He tried to flick through the information as quickly as possible. He could feel his fingers sliding on freezing metal. Sweat dripped down his neck. He cursed under his breath.

He should have known it wouldn't be this easy. Ten minutes in and still nothing. He was down to the last two files when he saw something at the edge of his vision.

He zeroed in on it. At the very bottom of the screen was a swirling green circle.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Holding his breath, he selected it.

The circle enlarged to take up the entire screen. Arthur sat back in the chair and clenched his hands into fists. More maps, images and documents flooded the wall, but this time was different.

This time, Arthur recognized the information flooding the screen.

The maps were Spades towns. The images were photos of Diamond land. Documents like the Spades and Diamonds treaty were there, as well as another document in German and Russian-

"_Alfred!_" Arthur was standing on his own now, using the table for support. His voice was unnaturally shrill with excitement. This is what they had been looking for! Finally, they had something useful to bring back to Spades.

"What?" Alfred materialized besides him. "Did you find somethi-?"

"Look, look at all this!" Arthur said breathlessly as Alfred faced the screen. He threw his arms around Alfred's neck with a laugh and hugged the teenager with all the strength he possessed. Alfred stumbled back from the force of Arthur's embrace.

Arthur pulled back just enough to see Alfred's face, not quite ready to let go yet. He was light-headed; Alfred was blurry in front of him. He said with an ear-to-ear grin, "This is everything we need. Now we have a chance! We might even win this war! All we have to do is copy this information, maybe even delete it from here if we can-"

Alfred's face swam into focus. His expression made Arthur go still.

"Alfred…?" he whispered.

Alfred's eyes were locked on something over Arthur's shoulder. They were wide with raw terror and his skin looked ashen in the ghoulish light.

Arthur released Alfred and slowly turned around.

On the screen a video was playing. Two groups faced each other in a simple cream colored room. The first was the Clubs Triumvirate: Russia, his Queen Hungary and their Jack Austria. The second group was Germany and Japan of Hearts.

Their expressions were serious. Germany was speaking to the Clubs while Japan stepped forward with a piece of paper. Russia took the paper and held it up so Hungary and Austria could see.

Arthur sucked in a sharp breath. It was a photo of Alfred in Hearts attire. Was this a recording of the Clubs and Hearts Alliance? He couldn't hear what they were saying-

He reached out to select the volume option. Before he could, Alfred snatched his hand and pulled it away.

Arthur looked back at Alfred. The teen's jaw was set but Arthur could feel his hand shaking around his own.

"What is it?" Arthur asked. A cold feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

_Do you really want to know?_ a voice in his mind whispered.

"Please," Alfred's voice broke on the simple word. "Please. Don't. If you do that, you- you'll-" He shook his head, unable to continue.

"Why?" Arthur found himself saying. "What is it? What are you so scared of?"

Alfred opened his mouth but no sound came out. Arthur felt a rush of anger. Alfred was hiding something from him. That had to be it. What the bloody hell else would he be so terrified for?!

_Well,_ he thought savagely and yanked his hand out of Alfred's, _he would find out soon enough._

"Arthur, no!" Alfred cried out.

Arthur pressed the sound option.

"_-ing,"_ the Russia on the screen said. He sounded amused.

"_What?"_ Japan's voice was ice cold in comparison. Both were speaking in Hoppípollan.

Russia tapped Alfred's photo. _"I recognize this child."_

Neither of the Hearts replied. Arthur tightened his hands into fists, gazing intently at the screen. Alfred, too, was silent behind him.

Hungary plucked the photo from Russia and held the image close to her eyes. Austria peered over her shoulder.

"_Is this not the boy who attacked you at the dinner party all those years ago?"_ he asked in a haughty, know-it-all tone.

Hungary snapped her fingers. _"Ah, yes! I remember now-"_

"_He did not 'attack' you-"_ Japan interrupted, seething. _"-you were the one who insulted us first!"_

Germany jerked Japan back to his side and gave him a warning glare. Arthur looked over his shoulder at Alfred and asked, "What party?"

Alfred stared straight ahead at the screen and didn't answer.

"_I would not be making such bold accusations if I were you, little Japan."_ Russia smiled sweetly and Arthur faced the screen again. _"You came to me for help, I could simply-"_ He made a shoo-ing motion with his hand. _"-ask you to leave instead of giving you what you came for."_

Japan flushed with fury and even Germany stiffened at Russia's words. Arthur heard Alfred let out a low hiss but he didn't turn this time. He didn't want to see Alfred being defensive of these people. Especially Japan.

"_The party though, I remember it well. I was not yet King. It was a celebration party to meet you-"_ Russia inclined his head. _"The new Triumvirate of Hearts."_

There was a beat of silence. Then-

"_This boy was not a member of you three that night,"_ Austria said as he considered the photo. _"And where is the last member of the Hearts Triumvirate now? Where is the real Jack of Hearts?"_

Arthur's skin was tingling. What did he mean? Alfred was not there with the Hearts when this deal was struck-

There was a creaking sound and the door behind the Hearts slowly opened.

A boy with red-brown hair stepped into the room. He looked up and regarded the figures with solemn brown eyes. He wore plain scarlet clothes and carried a gold baton in his right hand.

Arthur felt a jolt run through him. He recognized the boy. That was the boy he had threatened with a knife in to capture Alfred back in Alhliða. What was he doing at the Clubs-Hearts Alliance?

"_Ciao,"_ said the boy with a small wave. _"My name is Feliciano Vargas. I am Italy, the current Jack of Hearts."_

Arthur's blood ran cold.

"_Yes, you do seem more familiar than the other,"_ Russia said with a gesture at the photo. _"Still, I wonder if this is yet another trick of Hearts."_ His eyes flickered to meet Germany's.

"_You wish for proof?"_ Germany asked.

"_If it wouldn't be too much trouble."_ Russia splayed his fingers in an open, non-threatening manner that Arthur mistrusted immediately.

"_How dare you-?"_ Japan began to snarl when the Vargas boy put a hand on his arm.

"_It's no bother. Please, watch."_ Vargas held out his right hand. The baton shot out from both sides until it was as long as the boy was tall. The upper end sharpened to a deadly point and a maroon flag unfurled itself from around the metal pole. The flag was triangular and decorated with cream colored hearts.

"_This is my Eternal Implement, Rome,"_ Vargas said as goose bumps broke over Arthur's arms.

"_And this-" _Vargas reached up with one hand to pull down his shirt. There, in the center of his chest just below his neck, was a red Heart Tattoo. In the center of the Heart was an eloquent white 'J'. _"-is my Tattoo. You can try to rub it off to see if I drew the 'J' in but I'm telling you now that it is real."_

Horror started to override every thought in Arthur's mind until there was nothing left. But he could not seem to stop listening, as desperately as he wanted to turn on his heel and bolt.

Italy continued to speak, _"I am the Jack of Hearts. Alfred Jones is a friend of the Hearts Triumvirate. He saved me at the Gathering by pretending to be the Jack and taking my place as Spades prisoner."_

"_And now you want him back," _Hungary concluded. She shared a meaningful look with Russia that Arthur could not decipher.

Japan responded, _"Without him, we lose everything. Will you help us or do you refuse?"_

Russia gave a Cheshire cat grin. _"As long as we can share the spoils, we will fight with you. We have an agreement."_

Russia reached out and Germany, despite the unhappy expression on his face, took the offered hand. They shook once and the video receded back into the Spades-Diamonds file.

The silence left after was deafening.

Arthur stared numbly at the screen without seeing anything. His mind was void of any thoughts.

Without being totally aware of what he was doing, he turned around to look at Alfred. The teen had backed away at least three steps and was half-way to the further wall. His eyes were blown wide. His face gleamed with sweat and Arthur could see his chest heaving even at their distance.

Arthur didn't know what he himself looked like; he could barely feel anything at the moment. But what Alfred saw caused the teen's expression to turn petrified.

"Ar-" he stopped and started again. "Arthur, I-I'm so sor-"

And just like that, Arthur's emotions came back in full force.

With a high pitched scream, he hurled himself at Alfred. He only saw Alfred's terrified face for a split second before Alfred leaped out of the way. Arthur skidded to a stop, hand pressed against the aching wound on his side, and whipped his head around.

Alfred was to his right now, wheezing. He looked so weak; his knees were bent as if he could barely stand. Arthur might have felt empathy for Alfred had not all thoughts not been wiped out with a raw, boiling desire for vengeance.

He was furious beyond anything he had ever felt in his life. He was trembling from the force of his emotions. All this time Arthur had felt sorry for Alfred. He had allowed Alfred to bargain and even gave him liberties no other prisoner would have _ever_ received. Alfred had so simple and honest, yet Alfred had planned this all along. And Arthur had fallen right into his trap.

Arthur had been played like a fool.

"You-you-" he stuttered, voice shaking with barely controlled rage. His vision had taken a red tinge to it and he was caught in between attacking Alfred again or throwing the control panel at him first. "You-you tricked me on purpose, you worthless bastard! You are nothing but a spineless _liar_-"

He had begun to stumble towards Alfred, taking a step with every word he spit out. Alfred took a jerky step back every time Arthur moved forward and soon enough he was pressed flat against the opposing stone wall.

The teen had curled into himself so that he appeared smaller than he was. He flinched with every word Arthur said and began to gasp for breath when Arthur was a mere two steps away.

_He thinks I'm going to hurt him._

The thought struck Arthur wrong. Wrong enough that he paused his advancement.

But before he could ponder on the issue, a blinding flash of light blazed through the darkness. Arthur cried out and covered his eyes.

When he removed his hand, Yao was standing in front of a medium sized Wormhole.

Arthur gaped. This was the last thing he would have expected in this moment. "Yao-"

"Arthur, you must return now," Yao said. His voice was oddly calm and his eyes could have been carved from stone.

Chills shot down Arthur's spine and, for the moment, chased away the blinding rage. "What happened?"

"The Hearts and Clubs are at our boarders. They have demanded one last peace talk before they attack our lands."

Dizziness washed over him. Yao leaped forward and dragged Arthur back into an upright position. Arthur held onto Yao with a death-like grip and demanded, "When the bloody hell did this happen?!"

"Within the last hour. I did not want to interrupt your mission but-" Yao's gaze fell onto Alfred, who was still cowering against the wall, and the corners of his lips turned down. "-I had no choice until now."

"Bring me back!" Arthur ordered and shook Yao. "Bring me back to Spades, now!"

"But the mission-"

Arthur snapped, "To hell with the mission! I got what I needed anyway." He shot Alfred a venomous glare. The teenager shuddered and bowed his head.

Yao said slowly. "Of course, Your Majesty. You go first, I'll send Alfred after-"

Arthur cut across Yao, "No, leave him! He deserves to rot in here until the Clubs Triumvirate finds him."

Yao blinked. After a pause he said, "Arthur, you cannot-"

"_Do not tell me what to do,"_ Arthur snarled. _"I am your Queen and I expect you to obey me."_

His words were met with a chilling stillness. The only thing Arthur could hear was his own heavy breathing and the blood roaring in his ears. His mind was screaming for revenge. Alfred had betrayed and deceived him; he led Arthur like the Queen was nothing more than a puppet, bargaining and twisting his words to win Arthur's favor. And all for Hearts' sake.

It was always for Hearts.

"Arthur," Yao spoke to him directly in a quiet, even voice. "Hearts and Clubs have demanded to see him. We _must _bring him back with us."

Arthur stared into Yao's eyes. After a minute, he nodded. Yao lead him over to the Wormhole in short steps; the gash on Arthur's side was starting to act up again after all the recent activity; white hot pain emitted from the cut.

With gritted teeth he pushed his way through the Wormhole, refusing to look back at what he left behind.

-o0o-

"This is the bad before the worse.

This is the storm before the storm.

I haven't even hit the bottom of this ocean floor.

This is the bend before the break.

This is the mercy not the grace.

This is the proof and not the faith I try to find.

There shouldn't be a good in goodbye."

Shouldn't Be A Good In Goodbye, Jason Walker

-o0o-

**Background Information:**

***"London was inside his [Arthur's] desk- literally enchanted to be a painting on the side of his desk. Only Arthur had the power to draw London from the wood..."- Alfred was able take London out of the Arthur's desk in Chapter 13 because he's the Wild Card and London wanted to specifically show him a vision.**

****"Arthur's toy soldier."- this is a reference to the Hetalia scene where England gives colony America the toy soldiers as a gift. I try to include as many references to the magna/anime as possible.**

-o0o-

**Timing Guide:**

**I know the order of events is confusing, so below is the timeline I used to write this chapter.**

**Start of mission- ****Search castle**

**One hour- ****Know inside castle, south wing. ****Groups split up to search for the Rose**

**Two hours, ****Fifteen minutes-****Arthur gets vision from London**

** Two hours, Thirty minutes- ****Arthur leaves Spades for Clubs**

**Three hours- ****Alfred's group is attacked**

**Three hours, Fifteen minutes- ****Alfred leaves Simon**

**Four hours- ****Alfred is with Arthur, start/middle of chapter**


End file.
